The lower we descend in the scale of existence, the less importance does the nervous system sustain in its relation to other systems of the entire body; and conversely, the higher we rise in the scale, the larger importance does it hold, until, in man, it reaches its highest relation, crowning all the others, and making its possessor supreme in the world of animal-life. When, however, disease invades the brain, and the individual no longer holds sway over the purposes evolved from his mental operations, he becomes the most helpless of creatures. Thought no longer follows the dictation of the will; designs or plans, for the present and future, are no longer possible. That intellectual power on which he so much prided himself, and on which his highest happiness and usefulness depended, has passed into darkness and confusion. Henceforth, if he is to be cared for at all, or treated for the amelioration of disease, or for recovery, it must be by friends on the ground of obligation, or by the public, in virtue of that charity which is the growth of civilization and religion.
Persons affected with other forms of disease may be cared for, in the most part, at their own homes and by members of their own family better than elsewhere, while the indirect influence of such care and surroundings is often of much service in promoting both the happiness and the recovery of the patient. But in the case of the insane the opposite is true: the atmosphere of home and the care of friends are unfavorable conditions. More often than otherwise, the disordered mind regards the oldest and dearest friends as the worst enemies, while the circumstances of home and scenes long familiar, are those which are the least calculated to improve the mind.
In most other forms of disease, individuals may exercise their own judgment or preferences in the selection of medical attendants, nurses, and such appliances as may be thought necessary to comfort and recovery; they more or less fully realize their own condition and requirements, are capable, in some measure at least, of controlling their desires and feelings, and of explaining their experiences, and are generally influenced by such favorable indications as may arise in the progress of their diseases.
But in the case of the insane all this is generally reversed. Individuals have little or no judgment by which to be guided, as to those appliances necessary for their care and treatment; they rarely recognize their conditions fully enough to feel the necessity for doing any thing, beyond yielding to those impulses which may be uppermost for the time being; they are not generally capable of controlling their own feelings, restraining their desires, or of intelligently realizing and describing their condition, or of caring for themselves.
These conditions, so peculiar and opposite to those existing in many other forms of disease, and the fact that even under favorable circumstances, the vast majority of insane persons cannot be cared for in private homes, except at greatest disadvantage to other members of the family as well as themselves, renders it imperative for the highest interests of society, that governments interpose and make provision for their care as wards of the State, in a greater or less degree.
It appears to have been only within the last half century that this obligation has become more fully recognized, and, in consequence, society seems to be striving to make amends for past neglect. Hospitals and asylums have been erected and equipped at large expense, and physicians, selected with reference to experience and efficiency, have been placed in the care of them. In some countries commissioners have been appointed whose duty it becomes to see that kindness and sympathetic care take the place of former neglect and cruelty; physicians and others, influenced by professional and philanthropic motives, have been active in efforts to secure measures for the most enlightened treatment and the most humane care for these unfortunate members of society, so that, in process of time, this charity has become one of the largest importance, affecting all classes and conditions of society, and influencing, directly or indirectly, every property-holder and every voter.
And, while it is a most melancholy truth that so large a number become insane and dependent on society for care, yet the fact, that society is so ready to recognize its obligation and respond so generously to it, appears to be a cheering and hopeful indication. So far as it goes, it indicates a diminution of selfishness and a growth of charity. It indicates that the more humane, sympathetic, and finer qualities of character are having a larger measure of influence in the tendencies of the present time.
INCREASE OF INSANITY.