Insanity and Alcoholism. 



still they show that these people usually lived to 

 a very great age. 



It has also been noted of savage races that 

 certain tribes before coming much into contact 

 with Europeans, were of superior physique, and 

 some lived to a great age, but that un- 

 fortunately they so soon adopt our habits and 

 vices, that they deteriorate before we have an 

 opportunity to study their characters. 



Old age, then, can scarcely be accepted as a 

 " most prevalent predisposing cause " of insanity. 

 Hereditary influences may bear a more 

 serious relation to our problem, but this only in- 

 dicates that something is radically wrong in our 

 mode of life. 



Heredity seems to be using us very severely 

 just now ; not only are maniacal and suicidal 

 propensities transmitted to us, but our children 

 are losing their teeth, almost as soon as they can 

 walk, in some cases even their milk teeth decay 

 before they are shed, and toothache may be 

 counted as among their earliest remembrances. 



Eyesight also suffers from this cause, eyesight 

 is defective in the majority of our youth. 



It would almost seem that Mr. Kay Robin- 

 son's prophesy (Nineteenth Century, May, 1883), 

 " that the human being of the future will be a 

 toothless, bald, toeless creature with flaccid 

 muscles and limbs, almost incapable of locomo- 

 tion," is likely to come to pass during the pre- 

 sent century ; we shall soon arrive at that state 

 at the rate we are going. We may live to wit- 

 ness the disappearance of our teeth and hair, but 

 the toes, of course, will take much longer to dis- 



fi-i 20 



