The Times last Saturday published two remarkable articles on the
lunacy question. With the one treating of its medical aspect it is obviously impossible for us to deal in detail, It is enough to state that the writer laments the slow progress made, not only by the public, but by physicians, in recognising the general principle that insanity, speaking broadly, is " toxic" in its origin. But the statistics which he gives as to the growth of insanity since 1844—the year before the passing of the Lunacy Laws—strongly rein- force the contentions of the author of the second article, " The Lord Chancellor aifd the Insane." In 1844 the number of lunatics in England and Wales was 21,788; on January 1st, 1905, those under the control of the Commissioners numbered 119,829. Yet the strength of the Commission remains the same, three of the Commissioners being still legal, while three are medical. The result is that not only are inspections hurried and imperfect, but the Commissioners have themselves petitioned the Lord Chancellor—in whom, as a belated survival of mediaevalism, the supreme authority is still vested—to augment their numbers. So far their request has met with no result ; but in view of the fact that the medical Commissioners are unable either to cope with their work, or to intervene effectually where local authorities are recalcitrant, it seems difficult to believe that it can be much longer ignored.
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