Real and imaginary effects of intemperance : A statistical sketch, containing letters and statements from the superintendents of eighty American insane asylums, the history of five hundred inebriates, the history of ... paupers, and statistics of drunkenness / ... By G. Thomann.

  • Thomann, G. (Gallus)
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Real and imaginary effects of intemperance : A statistical sketch, containing letters and statements from the superintendents of eighty American insane asylums, the history of five hundred inebriates, the history of ... paupers, and statistics of drunkenness / ... By G. Thomann. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    be clearly discernible in corresponding ratio an increase of inebriety. Insanity bas increased one hundred per cent, between 1870 and 1880, hence inebriety must have increased in like proportion. An illustration may serve to bring the inconsequence between premise and conclusion into bolder relief. It is perfectly logical, for instance, to maintain that because the streets were sprinkled they must be wet; but what would be thought of a person who should contend that because the streets are wet, they must neces- sarily have been sprinkled ? With certain reservations as to the kind of drink used, the climate, the temperament and habits of the drinkers, as well as their social condition, it may readily be conceded that an increase of inebriety implies a proportionate increase of insanity; but it is not, therefore, by any means fair to infer an increase of inebriety from an alleged increase of insanity. The former proposition is almost axiomatic; the latter, putting it very mildly, is absurd, since its adoption as a true statement of fact would necessitate the exclusion of all the other multiform causes of insanity, as well as involve an abandonment of all the objections which have been and will again be urged by specialists, who take issue with the census offi- cials in more than one respect. Before approaching the subject of intemperance as a cause of in- sanity, let us consider whether the reported increase of lunacy is real or, to some extent at least, only apparent. If it be real, then, of course, it must be assumed that the census of 1870 contains a com- plete and wholly correct enumeration of the insane population in the country. But this assumption has been, and is still being, very vigor- ously assailed by eminent authorities. The fact that the Superinten- dent of the Census deemed it necessary, in 1S70, to vindicate the cor- rectness of his statistics of insanity must be taken as sufficient evi- dence of the reasonableness of doubt—a doubt, however, which does not reflect on the efficiency and conscientious diligence of the census officials.* The objections urged against accepting, as wholly reliable, the insanity statistics of 1870 are worthy of brief review. Dr. E. T. Wilkins, in his report on Insanity and Insane Asy- lums, a work frequently referred to in laudatory terms, and co- piously quoted by medical writers, says: It is exceedingly inter- esting to trace this apparent increase of insanity in various coun- tries of the world, and easy to show how much more rapidly the increase has been brought to light in those countries where the * CensuB of the United States, vol. II, p. 425.