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

Southern literary messenger; devoted to every department of literature and the fine arts. / Volume 9, Issue 6

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

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Reflections on the Census of 1840 [pp. 340-352]
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Southern literary messenger; devoted to every department of literature and the fine arts. / Volume 9, Issue 6

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"Reflections on the Census of 1840 [pp. 340-352]." In the digital collection Making of America Journal Articles. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/acf2679.0009.006. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 28, 2025.
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