Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1854-01-16
Western Lunatic Asylum.


of patients in the institution at the COM
mencement of the year, was, males 2G2-
femalas 1873. Admitted during the year
50 males and 81 females. The whole
number provided for during the year, was
400, of whom, including elopements and
deaths, there were discharged 83-num-
Der in the Asylum at the commencement
of the year, 340--showing that there are
81 more in the Asylum to provide for this
year than the last. OF the SO reported as
discharged, e.oped, &C., al had recovered
6 much improved. 2 unimproved, 3 eloped
and 81 died. The financial table show
that the land, gas and furniture funds have
been exhausted and the accounts closed !;
and of the support fund, and transportation
fund, there remained in the treasurer's
hands on the 30th day OF September last,
the aggregate sum of SAT- Is subject to
the order of the Board.
1t appears from the report that the ac-
tual cost Of the gas works at the institution
exceeds the estimate $4,000. The esti-
mated cost was $5000-the cost claimed
by the contractors, who made the estimate
is $500. The Board do not recommend
an appropriation 10 meet this deficit of
$3,5O0-no: having as yet sufficiently been
informed how it was possible the contrac-
tors could have made such an error. 1t IS
recommend that the institution be in fu-
ture warmed by steam to relieve the build
ings, as much as possible from the contin-
gency of fire. tits recommended that the
Legislature appropriate $3.50. for the
purpose of erecting verandas and covered
ways between the disconnected buildings.
for the benefit of the patients and the en-
ployees about the institutions in bad wealth
cr.
The Board recommend a change IN
the tenure of their office. They suggest
that the law establishing the change might
provide that the number of directors should
be IL, and the Board should be divided
into three classes, and be commissioned,
the first class for one, the second for two,
and the third for three years, and that
thereafter the commission of each class
should expire at the end of three wears
from the date. The reasons assigned for
this change are first the inexperience of
Board appointed yearly, Should they be
new directors,) it being necessary that a
large majority Of the directors should be
acquainted with the conc RS of which
they have the management. uth a Beard
could not act successfully as a check on the
Superintendent, and would be unqualified
to act as an advisory body with that officer.
Finally, such body would be unprepared
to do justice to the officers OF the institution,
and to the institution itself.
The Board also recommend, and to our
mind very strangely that one-third ot:the
body should be appointed from distance.
1t seems 10 US that the argument they use
to justify a change in the tenure Of their
Office, destroys at once the proposition to
make foreign appointments for it is well
known that persons from distance would
be unable to become acquainted with the
institution sufficiently, by annual, or semi
annual visits, to act as advisors in matters
where a knowledge of their peculiar char
acters only would be safe guide. If the
object Of the Legislature is to have an eff
ficient and well-informed Board, that body
should be chosen from those who have the
mind and the facilities of gaining informa-
ton, which will enable them to act wise
ly. Heretofore the institution has gotten
along most prosperously under the present
organization of the Board, and il expe-
hence is safe teacher, we would respect.
fully intimate that its lesson, be observed.
From the Superintendent's report to the
Board, we extract the following para
graph:
1t is matter Of congratulation that the
institution under your supervision has
reached the termination Of another wear,
the twenty-sixth of its existence, with I'M
mistakable evidences of continued pros
peril and increasing usefulness. No dis.
ease Of malignant or epidemic nature has
assaied its inmates. No case Of suicide
or of serious inicry has occurred. The
number of the insane treat.d and cared for
has exceeded that of any previcas year.
The proportion of recoveries is as eacour-
aging and gratifying as formerly, and he
per centage Of deaths is considerably be-
low the annual average.
In this connection, we may report the
fact, that of the one thousand tro hundred
and sirty: four unfortunates, who have oc-
cupied apartments here, and running
through period of more than a quarter
of a century, only five cases of selfdestruc-
ton have been recorded. and that in two
of these cases it is matter OF serious doubt
whether death was not the result of acct
dent rather than design. Why this asy-
lum should have been thus signaIly favor
ed in SO important particular, when many
of her sister institutions have to deplore al
most annually the suicide of one or more
OF the inmates, might afford matter Of most
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