On the supposed increase of insanity / by Edward Jarvis.

  • Jarvis, Edward, 1803-1884.
Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the supposed increase of insanity / by Edward Jarvis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    But there are so many other elements to be taken into the calculation, that as yet the hospital population is no indication of the prevalence of mental disease in any community. It is rather an indication of the degree of civilization, and of general intelligence, especially in re- spect lo mental disorder, of public generosity, and of popular interest, in behalf of the afflicted. Thus we find, that whenever the seeds of this interest are once sown, and allowed to germinate, and grow, it spreads continually thereafter. Whenever the attention of the people of any country is called to this subject, and a hospital is built, there follows a remarkable increase of the cases of insanity revealed to the public eye, and seek- ing for admission. In the year 1832, when the McLean Asylum at Somer- ville, Massachusetts, contained 64 patients, the State Lu- natic Hospital was established at Worcester, for 120 pa- tients. This was as large a number as was then supposed would need its accommodation. In 1836 one new wing, and in 1837 another new wing, and rooms for 100 more patients were added to the Worcester Hospital, and at the same time the McLean Asylum contained 93 lunatic inmates. In 1842, the Worcester Hospital was again en- larged by the addition of two new wings, and now these are all filled to the over flowing, having 450 patients in May 1851, while, at the same time, there were 200 at the McLean Asylum, 204 at the City Lunatic Hospital, at Boston, and 115 in the county receptacles for the insane at Cambridge and Ipswich, beside 36 in the jails, making 1,015 lunatics in the public establishments of Massachu- setts in 1851, instead of the 1S2 which were there in 1832. Beside these, there is now so great a demand for the admission of patients who cannot be accommodated in these establishments already built, and there is so much