  | CHAPTER I. | | PRELIMINARY. | | PAGE. | | Increase of interest in the subject of insanity, resulting from, first, more intelligent views concerning its nature; and, second, the obligation to make provision for the care of the insane in a larger measure than for other unfortunate classes—Results in the way of hospitals—Asylum attendants—Change in the modes of management, and care of the insane | 3 | | | CHAPTER II. | | INCREASE OF INSANITY. | | Indications which point to the probability of its increase in a greater ratio than that of the population: (1) in relation to the general conditions of society; (2) in occupations; (3) in the character or tendency of disease—Increased demand for hospitals for the insane not a conclusive evidence of increase of insanity; other reasons exist for this—Improvements in hospitals—The chronic as well as the acute insane now provided for more generally than formerly—Accumulations in asylums—Statistics—Those of England and Scotland—Their character and import as presented in the yearly reports of the Boards of Lunacy Commissioners | 11 | | | CHAPTER III. | | INSANITY AND CIVILIZATION. | | Prevalence of disease among savage nations—Conditions of life not such as to produce insanity—Definitions of civilization—Several conditions attending civilization combine to increase diseases of the brain—Increase of brain activity—Over-stimulation of the brain in schools and by the use of alcoholic beverages—A community of interests exists in savage life which is lost in civilized life—In the latter the strong thrive at the expense of the weak—Monopolies in land and other forms of property—Inference to be drawn from the tendency of insanity to increase—The primary condition of insanity one of the brain—Investigations should relate to the nature and causes of this condition | 33 | | | CHAPTER IV. | | THE INSANE DIATHESIS. | | The ideal human system—The actual human system—Physical and mental differences among persons in health—Periods during which there exist considerable changes in the character of mental action in the case of many persons while in a state of health—Excitement and depression of mental activity—This tendency to unstable activity of the nervous system may be inherited or acquired—Illustrations from the effects of over-exertion, “writer’s cramp,” chorea—A similar condition of that portion of the brain which is concerned in mental operations may exist—Illustrations—The effects of sudden mental shocks and long-continued mental application—Recapitulation—The condition which we term the Insane Diathesis is the prime factor in the causation of insanity | 53 | | | CHAPTER V. | | THE INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION. | | The higher conception of education—The ordinary course pursued in schools—Too many subjects studied at one time, and too large a number of scholars under the supervision of one teacher—Little opportunity to study individual characters and tendencies—Numerous subjects of study tend to confuse the mind rather than invigorate it—Illustrative cases—Teachers only in part to blame—Courses pursued in colleges—The importance of avoiding over-stimulation of any portion of the system in the period of youth—Ball clubs; rowing clubs—A similar tendency to over-stimulation of the brain in study prevalent in England—Over-exertion in the use of the brain tends strongly to create weakness and instability of action, and a condition which may be transmitted to children | 73 | | | CHAPTER VI. | | INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION. | | Occupations of persons admitted to State asylums—Percentage of those having no education in industry, or regular occupation—Importance of industrial education to the brain—Difficulty of obtaining it greater than formerly—Education of the brain has taken the place of industrial education, and with unfavorable results—The education of the schools does not qualify the mass of people to earn a living: it tends rather to unfit them for industrial labor—The interests of society require that the largest number be educated to be self-supporting—To secure this it is necessary to begin early in life—The same principles apply to education for domestic labor | 95 | | | CHAPTER VII. | | MORAL EDUCATION. | | Examples of deficient moral education—It more especially pertains to the influence of home and relates to obedience—Respect and obedience toward persons in authority essential to any efficient system—This must be learned in early life if at all—Self-control essential to the growth of mental strength and discipline—The tendencies in the modes of home and school education | 115 | | | CHAPTER VIII. | | HEREDITY. | | Its importance as a factor in causing physical and mental characteristics in families and nations—Illustrations—Tendencies to morbid action, both mental and physical, may also be transmitted—Insanity—Dipsomania—How may unfavorable tendencies be avoided?—The influence of heredity acts toward elimination of unfavorable tendencies when existing on one side of the family—Importance of understanding this in relation to marriage—Education may do much toward aiding in the removal of unfavorable tendencies—Weak-minded children—Those born with peculiarities of physical and mental constitutions | 125 | | |
PRELIMINARY.
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