Segar. — Insamty : Some Comparative Statistics. 



225 



the average of the country of his origin." This is said first of all to be 

 suggested by the comparison of the immigrant with the New-Zealander, in 

 which it is pointed out that the insane of the immigrant population above 

 the age of twenty is as great as 1 in 118-9. After the inquiry in the pre- 

 ceding section of this paper, this suggestion would appear to cease to have 

 any force. It is then stated to be verified " by contrasting our figures 

 with the English figures (only approximate) of 1 insane person below 

 twenty to 2,069 of the population of the same age, 1 in 173 of the popu- 

 lation above that age, and 1 in 283 of all ages." Now, in arguing from 

 these bare figures serious mistakes have been made similar to those made 

 in contrasting the New-Zealand-born wdth the immigrant. The remarkable 

 age-distribution of those of our population not born in this country, com- 

 bined with the increasing liability to insanity as age increases, is not taken 

 any account of above the age of twenty. 



50 



40 



30 



20 



TZ^- 10 



0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-25 25-30 30-35 35-40 40-45 45-50 50-55 55-60 60-65 G5-70 70-75 75-80 SOanJover.. 

 Age periods. 



To illustrate the extent of this peculiarity that has to be allowed for, 

 let us compare the age-periods 20-25 and 45-50. The number of lunatics 

 per 10,000 in the later period is more than six times as great as it is in the 

 earlier. Our total population in the later period is about two-fifths of that 

 in the earlier, whereas our immigrant population of the later period is almost 

 double that of the earlier. Further, whereas in the period 20-25 our 

 immigrant population only constitutes one-sixth of the whole population 

 of that age-period, in the later age-periods it practically constitutes the 

 whole population of the periods. We have further to take into account the 

 very considerable excess of males in our immigrant population, amounting 

 to nearly 50 per cent., and their greater rate of insanity, and also the excess 

 of females in older countries. In fig. 2 we have the graphs representing the 

 population of New Zealand not New-Zealand-born. The excess of males 

 stands out clearly, and a comparison of these graphs with those in fig. 1 

 for the whole population reveals clearly to the eye the exceptional character 



8— Trims. 



