New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-04


York Hotel Scandal, will revive in many minds an
interesting questioL-we mean that OF the treas-
melt Of the insane. Mrs. Woodman, the weak
sni unfortunate woman in duress, by direction of
her husband, at the private asylum Of Sanford Had,
is undo ubtedly person needing restraint OF some
kind. Her ipju ed husband naturally wishes that
abe should be where abe cannot continue her adal-
ferrous career He thinks it better for her TO be in
6 Lad house than TO be roa ming about the world
wAk psramous, especially one Of 20 base kind
as tbis Mr.. Furness il Represented to be. SO far
so good We Ere not indisposed TO believe that
little stbsibie ntd:Il ,..endsnce, regulated dleA
sbd deprivation Of "a stimulants. might convince
this unhappy Indy that she has been exceedingly
unvise. But the question ISIS che insane' We
do not mean "morally inssne," which is the conve-
pie1t phra.e adopted by modern practitioners, but
10 Sic lunatic in the ordinary, generally
MT a1iog Of the word Upon this point, Mr.. JUS
tee Roosevelt sill be called upon to decide, aud
we sre lot disposed to anticipate his decision. At
the tame time, it il really becoming very important
for the public to know who may be and who may
rot BIZ subjected to imprisonment as lunatics. Be-
cause, if mere oddity, ecoentrcity, incompstbiiy
Of temper, irritabbity, queerness Of conduct, and
immortality, are to be regarded as insanity, al the
pubic aid private hospitals in the State will hardly
accommodate the patients.
The line between nero peculiarly OF temper.
ament and positive lunacy is faint one,
tLd our modern practice tends to make it
fainter We are continually multiplying our
tents of sanity. A poor man may be able
" the matter to reward"-he may be managing his
affairs with ass:duity and prolific may be per-
fectly harmless. Nevertheless, he may some
times talk iucoherently, may refuse his food, and
may be inclined ~ wander. Now, it is noteworthy
that many such persons 60 at large, withous
any attempt to commit them as lunatics. They
only are thus tenderly cared for whose relatives
have direct personal interest 10 restraining them;
AID the facts warrant us in asserting that this in
t-rest is almost always Of q mefcenary character,
or that it results from sel6shress which disin-
dimes parties to take that troublesome care of kith
and kin, which, in certain form, 10 recognized
BY all the world a. the first duty Of al reverence.
We believe that really kind and generous'heart
family would submit to any degree of annoyance
short of the absolutely n.upportable, before con-
sisDipg relative to an asylum. Still less would
the humane and gentle take such course under
light AID trivial circumstances. silly gin desires
~ marry her fathers 'coachma3. Does that i'm.
prudent attach ment demonstrate that she is mad
An I'D gentleman is suspected OF having signed an
absurd will Does that prove that he should be
given over to Mr. Mcdonald Every man, woman
or child in this blessed world is continually doing
absurd and fantastica things from the rising Of the
Gun to the going down of the same. SatirisS
have represented the earth as one great Bedlam,
but it does not follow that every one should be
clothed in q strait jacket whenever his friends
think it would become him.
Our law requiring the approval Of two physicians
aid two magistrates before the commitment Of q
patient to public lunatic asylum is not very strn.
gent at the best and it is not very stringently
enforced We have great respect for our friends,
toe medical men; but our veneration does not
amount to tho belief that they can accurately
determine in one visit or ten, whether patient 10
insane, unless, indeed, be be furiOusly mad. When
We are told that person is not Gin his night
mind" it is astonishing how many peculiarites Of
ctmesnor we at once notice, which, without this
previous information, would probably have escaped
our observation. There may possibly be just
little self interest in the decision Of the examining
phys clan. He may prefer to side with the people
v no are TO stay out rather than with the patient
who i. to 60 into The asy am. Then the professional
etiquette is immense. The physician stands BY the
ssylum, and that institution stands BY him. Not
tps $50 the superintendent Of an English establish
uent, who had a hobby Of the aqueous nature,
put a patient for some dsobedieIce into
,hower bath, aid submitted him to this pluvious
treatment and new method Of water-cure for
a little over half an hour, the shower being very
copious. OF course, the treatment killed the sub
iect. Twas manslsughter, we have no doubt.
For ali that when an investigation was hsd before
a CorcI er's Jury, not o physician could be made
" soy that the treatment was bad save personal
enemy Of the dienchipg doctor, and he, Of course,
thous ht it very bad treatment indeed. So the do
lnquent was restored to his shower baths, and, for
aOy thing We know, may be now administering
them by the hour to the unfortunate persons under
his charge. So, during the Wooduan examination,
DR. Meredith Reese thought evidently that he set
ted the whole matter by saying: "SAuford Hall Is
"in every way respectable institution" "Dr.
"Barstow is 9 very respectable man." With all
proper regard for DR.. Reese, We submit that
"very respectable" physicians sometimes make
mistakes, aid that great wrongs are sometimes
perpetrated in Every respectable" institutions.
When a man who is doing business in this City
came forward to say that be had been badly treated
in this came Sanford Hall, Dr.. Reese, at the re-
an..f Of Mr. Rrady felt tha pulsa of tha uitneas