Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1842-11-25
Report of the Commissioners of the Deal,
Dumb, Blind and Insane.

Of Vermont:
The Commissioners for the instruction oil
the deaf, dumb and blind Cor the year 1872
respectfully submit the following report:
Within the year ending on the l4th Of
Nav last. there were at the American Asy.
lun for the deaf aud dumb, twenty-five ben
ofcaries from this State who had been adj
United by former boards of commissioners
of which number during that year four COM
petcd their terms Of admission aud were
discharged; two have left the institution, and
one other deceased.
AT the meetings of our board in February
and May last, we gave warrants OF admls-
sion to four, as beneGcaries, three OF whom
are now under instructions; we have also ex-
tended the terms of two former beneliclaries
two years During the recent vacation OF
the ASYLUM one other of our pupils deceas-
cd reducing the number Of our beneficiares
at the institution, at the commencement OF
the present term, TO seventeen. Your COM
missioners have drawn upon the Treasury
for the payment of the seml-annual bills OF
the Asylum to the amount Of S2207 Ia, also
Sl5 for the expense of transporting one OF
the bene6ciarles to the Asylum.
Your Commissioners further report, that
mt the commencement of the present year
there we're four benefciaries at the Perkins
Institution and Massachusetts Asylum for
the blind, who had been admitted by former
boards. OF this number one has since COM
pleted her term and been discharged. We
have admitted TO the Asylum the present
year, four pupils for instruction, three OF
whom have entered the institution. We have
also admitted one to the work department.
aud have extended the terms Of two others
dor one and two years.
We have drawn upon the Treasuryto meet
1he bill of the institution for the year ending
April l. 1912, the amount of 1854 "a, but
having discovered an error in the bill for the
amount of S66 is, we have placed that a
AMOUNT to the credit Of the State, which re-
<uces the expenses for our blind bcne6ciares
for the present year to 1855 ~.
Your Commissioners further report, that
IN the appropriation Of the fund for the sup
port Of the insane poor, in pursuance OF an
act of the State Legislature of the last
session, we found the duties and responsible
ties of the Office much increased. As the
fsnd appropriated by the act was insufficient
us, it became our duty to select, out OF more
than one hundred cases which we're reported,
such as appeared to be the most meritorious
objects of public charity. In this view, hav-
ing consulted with DR.. Rockwell, the super
intendent of the Vermont Asylum, and made
such other investigation as we were able,
we came to the conclusion that we ought
generally to afford aid to those poor persons
whose insanity had been of the shortest du-
ration. Regarding insanity as disease,
which like all others, will more readily yield
to carly medical treatment, we believed that
by granting aid to this class, we should in
most instances furnish the means OF a speedy
restoration to health, while we could geuer-
ally do little more than to add TO the comfort
and convenience of those whose insanity had
by long continuance, become confirmed and
hopeless. In the one case, the appropriation
would subserve the purposes of state charity
by granting relief to the unfortunate individ-
uals while in the other, we should do little
more than to relieve the towns of portion
of their public burthens In carrying out
this design we have granted aid in few Ca
scs to those who have for long time been
afflicted with only occasional or partial in
sanity, where improvement aud recovery
might be expected.
OF all the cases reported TO us, we have
designated twenty-four as bcne6caries. of
that number, four have since recovered and
been discharged; one other has since been
discharged. One other has been discharged
who was improved, nine are convalescing,
four are improving, and six are stationary.
Your commissioners here take occasion to
express their high regard for this institution,
and particularly for DR.. Rockwell, its distin-
guished superintendent, in whose scientific
skill, humanity and perseveriug faithiulness,
they have the utmost confidence.
BY the provisions of the existing law, it is
the duty of the board Of civil authority, an
nualy to report to the commissioners, all the
cases of the deaf, dumb, blind and insane
in their respective towns. From our expe-
rience in respect to these provisons,w we deem
it our duty to suggest the propriety of an
alteration of the law, by which it should be
the duty of the seectmen in each town, to
report to the commissioners, or some one of
them, all recent cases of insanity accruing
between the annual meetings of the civil au-
thority as often as they occur.
We think this more especiaily important
in respect to cases Of insanity, wherein eff
tcctual relief can rarely be afforded, except
in the earliest stages of the disease. This
immediate attention cannot be secured by
the provisions of the present law, which
merely brings such cases annually to the
knowledge of the commissioners.
All which is respectfully submitted by
HENRY STOWEIL,l o..
oA 2. cnA AND Il! l. ~s.
Montpelier, 18th October, IS42.
The immense sacrifices of pronerty which