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This is an exhaustive inquiry into the history of the care of the insane by the State of New York, beginning with the year 1777 and
bringing it down to the present date, citing the important statutes and events along the way. This constitutes the first chapter of the book, which is then followed by a general discussion of the problem of insanity in its various community, individual, and social relations, followed by a closing chapter on recommendations.
The historical part of the work is well done and should be of great value to those who are especially interested in the New York State Hospital problem. The rest of the work, however, gives the impression that the author derived his knowledge pretty completely from books rather than from a first hand vital contact with the problems themselves, and the recommendations which he finally reaches serve to bolster up that feeling. After all this careful collection of documentary evidence, the final conclusion, which says that we should exert ourselves towards preventing mental illness rather than asking for appropriations for increased accommodations in our state hospitals, comes as rather a disappointing anti-climax.
White