272 PSYCHOLOGY IN HUMAN AFFAIRS
groups, was 73 for married men, 161 for widowers, 221 for bachelors and
362 for divorcees. The corresponding figures for women were 59, 92,
130, and 263. Among the women, there were two exceptions to this
general trend. Female alcoholic patients and female paretics (general
paralysis) had a slightly smaller group of single members than the
. general population. Probably such women are less inhibited and
have greater opportunities for marriage. In all the organic conditions
there were a larger percentage of widowed patients than is found in the
general population. The high rate of divorced individuals would be
expected, as such people do not tend to have a happy married life.
AMERICAN POPULATION GROUPS
All available figures indicate a greater prevalence of mental disease
among immigrant groups than among native-born citizens of the
United States, but such figures are usually presented in a manner
uncorrected for such factors as age, sex distribution, economic status,
and urbanization. As Landis and Page point out,1 an earlier study had
shown mental disease occurred more frequently among native Ameri-
cans who had migrated from the east to California than among native-
born Californians. It would appear that people who make up a
migratory group have a larger than average proportion of potential
psychotics. Uncorrected figures indicate two to three times as great
an incidence among immigrants as among native citizens. When the
admission rate is based, however, upon the general population over
fifteen years in age (immigrant groups contain few children), the
foreign-born rate is only 20 per cent higher than that of natives.
When further correction is made for urbanization (most immigrants
live in cities), the rate becomes only 8 per cent higher. Although there
are many factors complicating the total picture, it is quite possible that,
with the application of more thorough statistical analysis, there will be
found very little, if any, difference between the two groups.
It is widely believed, even among the medical profession, that
among the Jewish people an unduly large amount of mental illness
occurs. Early studies that bore this out and that have been much
quoted failed to correct for the factor of urbanization.2 For example,
in Germany, in 1926, the incidence of mental disease among the Jewish
population was one third higher than among either Catholics or Prot-
estants. When, however, the figures are limited to the city of Berlin,
the rate per 10,000 for Jews was actually lower than that of either of the
two other groups (26 as contrasted with 29 and 28 per 10,000). Simi-
1 TWdL, pp. 92-97.
* Ibid., pp. 97-100.