Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-01-14
LOCAL NEWS
ssate Lunntic HospIsnI.

The annual report of the State Lunatic
Hospital in this city, covering reports from the
Superintendent and Treasurer, was submitted
to the Legislature on Saturday. We take the
following abstract from the Boston Journal:
"Dr. Bemis, the Superintendent, has, with
the assent of the Trustees, visited Europe
within the past year, for the purpose of exam
lining the hospitals of the old world, and the
Trustees anticipate much benefit to the Hos
pilal, as the result of his observations.
The disabilities which have for several years
been the subject of much thought and dis
cussion on the part of the officers and trustees
of the Hospital were referred to, viz the
dangers arising from the mode Of heating the
building, and the defective ventilation. Dur
ing the past year these evils have been re-
moved, it is believed, with entire success.
The plan adopted is the use of steam for
heating, and the employment of mechanical
ventilation by means of large fan driven by
steam power, forcing fresh air through fues
into all parts of the building. The cost of
these improvements has been S2S,S50.
The Trustees state the present allowance
for the support of the patients sent to the hos
pital at the expense of the Commonwealth is
from thirty to fifty per cent. less than the ac-
Va
monwealth now pays at the rate of 800 per
year for its patients, while the actual cost the
last year was $I2S Ga. In 1855 it was 1857
20; in 1854, $l23 II and in 1853, $l03.
In conseq uence, the prices charged for pa
tients maintained by their friends, the Trust
ees have been obliged to raise to 50 rs and
SIS per week, in order to meet the expenses of
the institution. The Trustees remark:
The effect of this state of things is practi-
cally to impose as it were, tax upon those
unfortunate individuals who were committed
to the lunatc hospitals of the State for the
benefit of the States own paupers. The in
justice of this state of things will be more
strikingly apparent when we reflect that this
tax is imposed not upon the rich and prosper
Gus, but in most cases upon the poor and af-
hicted. We know of instances in which two
sisters have by the daily labor of their own
hands supported third sister at the Worces-
ter Hospital. In another case a daughter
who had no means, but what she earned,
supported an aged mother at the same insti-
tuition
These facts are mentioned with the belief
that knowledge of them will induce the
Legislature to apply an immediate remedy
FroE the report OF the Superintendent, DR..
eIerrick Bemis, we learn that at the COM
mencement of the last year, there were 1886
patients in the institution, of whom l68 were
males, and l6S females, and there were ad-
mitted during the year 24l. of whom liz were
males and 1919 females. The whole number
under treatment has been 577. There have
been discharged recovered, 81; much i'm
proved, 20 improved, 26 not improved, %;
died, So; total, pol. Remaining under treat
ment Dec. 81, 1856, 276. There were COM
mitted by the Courts, 1873; by overseers of the
poor, 4S. Of these IS were foreigners or had
no settlement within the State. The number
of such patients remaining in the Hospital is
l41.
Although the number of deaths is larger
than during the previous year, the general
health of the institution has been good
The farm connected with the Hospital has
yielded the sum of 1929 76 the past year.
Much Of the labor upon it was executed by
patients.
According to the report of the Treasurer,
Samuel Jennison, the receipts the past year
amounted to 5,796 80, and the expendi
lures TO $63,337 57.'