46 THE TREND OF THE RACE 
his patients; on the other hand, there have been some authors who 
have brought the proportion down as low as one-tenth. Some 
years ago I made a tolerably precise examination of the family 
histories of 50 insane persons, taken without any selection; there 
was a strongly marked predisposition in 14 cases—that is, in 1 in 
3.57, and in 10 more cases there was sufficient evidence of family 
degeneration to warrant more than a suspicion of inherited fault 
of organization. In about half the cases then was there reason to 
suspect morbid predispositions. I have recently inquired into the 
histories of 50 more cases, all ladies, the opportunities being such 
as could only occur in private medical practice, and with these 
results: that in 20 cases there was the distinct history of heredi- 
tary predisposition; in 13 cases there was such evidence of it in 
the features of the malady as to beget the strongest suspicion of 
it; in 17 cases there was no evidence whatever of it.”” In some 
cases insane ancestry was denied, but was subsequently found to 
exist. Dr. Maudsley thus expresses his general conclusion as to the 
proportion of insanity due to heredity: “‘Suffice it to say broadly 
that the most careful researches agree to fix it as certainly not 
lower than one-fourth, probably as high as one-half, possibly as 
high even as three-fourths.” (The Pathology of the Mind, 3d 
edition.) Toulouse cites the estimates of various authors on the 
frequency of hereditary insanity as follows: 
Elis: socipnceettees ern eig/lae soca haa usa ad 15.5 per cent. 
Morel x. cave aecectg: Ti gs Se and eR we dated se nd 20 ee 
Esquirol (Statist. de Charenton)........... CeCe 
Esquirol (Statist. de la maison d’Ivry)...... 56.81 “ & 
English Asylum Statistics................. Bowe KRG 
Prussian Asylum Statistics................ 27.96 “ « 
Guislaides esi Bile bls Ba ens Sereda Ros Bh 45 ree 
Morea cis-csa te tave ess joeuaniaus seek go eee 
The following statements may be added from recent authors: 
Mott, “The large majority of the insane are hereditarily dis- 
posed.”’ Clouston, ‘An evil nervous heredity commonly under- 
lies all other causes. Without its existence there would be very 
