CONTENTS. Aliens excluded because of mental unsoundness.... Insane persons deported after landing.. Insane and feeble-minded aliens in the United States. Foreign-born insane in institutions, 1908.... The ratio of insanity among the native-born and among the foreign-born. The native-born of foreign father compared with the native-born of native father. The tendency to insanity among the immigrants, by nationality or race.. Possible causes of high ratios of insanity among the foreign-born.. The inefficacy of the immigration law... Racial or national tendencies... The effects of change of environment.. Summary.. Page. 227 229 229 231 234 235 237 241 245 245 247 250 251 LIST OF TABLES. TABLE 1. Number of persons of each specified class excluded from United 227 2. Aliens debarred from entering United States because of mental 228 230 3. Insane in hospitals in continental United States, 1904... 4. Feeble-minded in institutions in continental United States, 1904.. 231 232, 233 6. Proportions of native and foreign born insane in hospitals in conti- 7. Parentage of native-born white insane in hospitals in continental 8. Parentage of native-born white insane in hospitals in continental 10. Persons received at Bellevue and Allied Hospitals, New York City, 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 13. Foreign-born white feeble-minded in institutions in continental 14. Foreign-born white insane enumerated in hospitals in continental 15. Foreign-born persons in the United States less than three years who 241 242 247 248 ALIENS EXCLUDED BECAUSE OF MENTAL UNSOUNDNESS. Foreign-born persons of unsound mind have been excluded from the United States by federal legislation since 1882. The law of 1882 prohibited the immigration of idiots and lunatics, and that of 1891 excluded idiots and insane persons. The statutes since enacted have been more comprehensive in their terms. In 1903 a law was passed prohibiting the immigration of idiots, insane persons, persons insane within five years of the date of application for admission, and persons having had two or more previous attacks of insanity. The law of 1907 excludes idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, persons insane within five years of the date of application for admission, persons having had two or more previous attacks of insanity, and persons suffering from mental defects, not otherwise specified, sufficiently serious to affect ability to earn a living. Through the operation of these statutory provisions many aliens have been excluded. The annual reports of the United States Commissioner-General of Immigration show, for the years since 1890, the number of aliens excluded from the United States in each year, together with the causes of exclusion. These data, so far as they relate to persons of deranged or defective mentality, are presented in the following table: TABLE 1.-Number of persons of each specified class excluded from United States, by year. [Compiled from annual reports of the United States Commissioner-General of Immigration.] It will be noted that the classification of persons mentally unsound differs from year to year. This variation is due to the changes in the wording of the statutes under which the aliens have been excluded. Since 1890 there has been a very marked increase in the number of persons prevented, by reason of mental diseases, from entering the United States. In 1908, 345, and in 1909, 322, foreignborn persons were excluded for the various causes specified in the table. Of those excluded in 1908, 159 are classified as insane, 20 as idiots, 45 as imbeciles, and 121 as feeble-minded persons, while of those excluded in 1909, 141 are classified as insane, 18 as idiots, 42 as imbeciles, and 121 as feeble-minded. Foreign-born persons to the number of 1.573 were debarred from entry into the United States for the causes specified in the captions of the table, during the period of 20 years from 1890 to 1909, inclusive. The returns of the table do not include persons suffering from mental diseases not included in the classification, but of a nature sufficiently gravé to affect ability to earn a living. In the following table the aliens debarred from entering the United States because of mental defects or diseases in the years 1908 and 1909 are classified by race or people: TABLE 2.-Aliens debarred from entering United States because of mental defects or diseases, 1908 and 1909. [Compiled from annual reports of the United States Commissioner-General of Immigration for 1908 and 1909. This table does not include aliens having mental defects not included in the classification which may affect ability to earn a living.] |