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Subject: [MAHAMPSH-L] 1860 Northampton 'Insane Hospital'
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2003 21:04:36 EST

I was looking at the 1860 census images for Northampton, Hampshire, MA, pages
163-171 ("Insane Hospital').

Column #14 "whether deaf and dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or
convict", includes some interesting descriptions of the inmates' problems.
Among these descriptions are: hereditary, epilepsy, ill health, tobacco,
disapointment, fright, home sickness, intemperance, masturbation, death of
wife, loss of husband, loss of property, hard work, hard study, grief,
domestic trouble, jealousy, religious excitement, old age, dissipation,
business difficulty, and unknown.

Do these descriptions refer to the cause of the mental illness, or were they
the reasons for committment?

Just curious,
Syl in Florida

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