Reflections on the Census of 1840 [pp. 340-352]

Reflections on the Census of 1840.
arising from moral causes, and 414 from physical.
But 255 of these are merely described as arising
from ill-health; so that in truth, there are only 159
cases in the whole, in which, causes merely physical seem to preponderate.
That it is the most dreadful of human afflictions,
may be understood from the fact, that whilst men
bear other diseases with comparative patience,
this and its kindred grades often prompt them to
terminate their suffering by self-destruction. The
pangTs of Goat, Stone, Scrofula, and Cancer, are
borne, until they finish their course. But the
scorpion lash, which a diseased imagination applies
to irritated nerves, is insupportable, and the wretched victim often becomes a suicide.
But, whatever doubt may arise in particular cases,
whether the origin of insanity is physical or moral,
the circumstances that exist in relation to the colored population of the slave and non-slave-holding
States, remove all doubt Keith respect to them. If
the extent of insanity among the free colored of
the extreme nor thern States, be s upposed to oricinate fromn climate, awe ask reference to States presenting opposite results, with a similarity of climate and soil. Ohio, Indiana and Illinois lie nearly
in the same parallels of latitude as Virginia and
Maryland. The average amount of insane, in the
three first named States, is 1 in 88 of the free colored population. The average amount of insane,
in the colored population of Virginia and Maryland,
is 1 in 1,299. If it be supposed that the western
position of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, has any
agency in this matter, we refer to Missouri, which
is more western still, and is divided from Illinois
only by the Mississippi river. In Illinois, the average is 1 in 45, in Missouri, 1 in 879.
Insanity arises from moral and physical causes;
but we think most frequently from moral causes,
acting on physical predisposition.
It is known to be greatly increased in times of
public distress. The statistics of Germany show
how much it increased in that country during the
campaigns of the French armies there, subsequent
to the French revolution.
In England, the Edinburgh Review (for August,
1817,) states, the increase of insanity was somewhat greater than in the proportion of 2 to 8, for a
period of five years, from 1810 inclusive, and adds,
"The moral circumstances, probably connected
with this great change, might be a subject of instructive reflection."
It should be remembered that this period was
one of the most anxious of British history.
Public distress hias produced the same results in
France, as appears from the evidence of Mr. Bennett, before a committee of the House of Commons
in England, in relation to the celebrated Hospital
for Lunatics, at Paris, named the Salpetrere. He
states, "The annual number of admissions was
about 280, but the number always increased in proportion to the popular feelings that were excited.
Thus the Allies coming to Paris, sent many patients to the Hospital."
We have a statement before us of the patients in
three Hospitals, viz: The Hospital at Worcester,
Massachusetts; the Ohio Lunatic Asylum, and the
Western Lunatic Asylum of Virginia.' The cases
of 1,284 patients are given-among whom, the
causes of 367 are traced to vicioius practices, 255
are described by the term ill-health, which explains
nothing, and 151 are referred to epilepsy, puerperal disease and injuries of the head. But when it
is recollected how extremely difficult it is, in many
instances, to trace the causes of insanity, from the
inability of the patient himself to explain, and
from the ignorance of those who have been about
himn, before he was brought to the Hospital, it is
not surprising that many are classed by a vague
term. The disease is known to be hereditary,2'
but from the wandering character of our population,
that may often be the cause, without its being possible to ascertain it. 503 cases are mentioned as
lhavingf arisen from distressing affections of the
mind-as domestic affliction, religious feeling,
grief for loss of property, fright, disappointed affection, and jealousy. These are called the moral
causes-; but as 367 of the first class are traced to
vicious habits, the principal cause in them is moral.
If then x-e add these to the 503 cases, from moral
causes just mentioned, there will be 879 in 1,284,
m os t decisive miracles the w orld has ever seen.
The controlling causes, the n, of this extraordinary contrast, must be moral; and they produce
effects in the New England States unparalleled, we
think, in the history of the human race.
In Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and
Vermont, the average number of insane and i diots
is 1 in 34 of the colored population. If the proportion was as great in the white population of
these States, there would( be 53,080 of that unfortunate (-lass. We here insert a table from the
Annual Report of the Court of Directors of the
Western Lunatic Asylum, to the Legislature of
Virginia, made in 1842, which shows the cost of
American Almanac, for 1843, p. 171.
2 it is an inidis)utabl)e fact, that the offspring of insane
persons are more liable to be affected with insanity, than
those whose parents enjoy sound minds; which shews that
a predisposition to the disease may be entailed by either
parent. Thomas' Practice, p. 3t9.
342
[JUNP,,
No man, who has the least acquaintance with the,
uniformity of the laws of nature, will suppose,
that they act up to the line of a noii-slave-tioldin,,T
State, and suspend their force that moment the line
is crossed to a slave-liolding State, and that in every
instance where a State of the one description is
bounded by a State of the other: For, the rule
applies in every such instance.
If this were the case, it would be, one of the