, 1864-02-02
THE PACIKARD ms ANITY
CASE.
Letter from DR.. mcFaFlondf 3uperIn.
teudet Or tho Gkate 1nsa0e Asylum.

Letter from DR.. mcFarland5 superln.
teudet OF the S&ato 1ns10e Asylum.
ILLINOIS STATE HosrIrA1 FOE THs 1NaAH,
JACKSONVILLE, Jan. g, g 1854.
Editor Chicago Tribune:
DEAR SR-In the TRIBUNE of yesterday,
which have lust received, there is some
what lepethepcd account Of the late proceed
iDgs in the case Of Mrs. Packard, formerly IN
inmate of this Institution, In which my name
and the interests under my care are mention
ed In q way to justify this communication.
The facts are briefly these. Mira F., rs one
Of the results OF a strongly inherited pzedls-
position, {her mother having been for long
period Of her life insanc,) had IN attack Of
insanity previous to her marriage, an~ vas
placed by her father iu the Massachusetts,
State Lunatic Hospital, at Worcester.
Hcre she recovered, and, shortly
after acr discharge, was married to
Rev, Mr. Packard, then a clergyman of
Shelburuc, Mass. For some years her rela-
tions with i:cr husband were natural and al.
fcctionate; she was almost model vile and
mother; and, jointly with her husband, exer-
community In which they reaidcd. After
some years Of usefulness her most unfostls-
nate malady returned under form peculiarly
distressing 10 any one standing In re5lousi-
tic relations to her. While the dc1usfons Of
tcr mind are based On certain ideas OF her
high position in tho Divine government,
III hich she usually conceats with great adroit-
ncse,} the actual exhibitions Of her insanity
manifest themselves in such IN intensity OF
hatred towards her husband, and such OF her
relatives as attempt to counsel or control
lcr, Us to debar the possibility Of my con,
tinuance Of the natural relations Of wife and
mother, md to require, 9...he i9 the e.tI. t1
most without exc :ption, her rest
tercc in m asylum for the Insane. Yet this
etate Of things continued for several years be:
fore such an unwelcome resort was decided
upon. Her husband avoided the resnlts OF
her unremitting efforts to SOW discord among
his ncigEbors and parishioners by repeated
changes in bis place OF ministry; he eaw his
young children In danger Of being corrupted
by teachings such as any right-minded father
must view with abhorrence; but it was only
when he eaw her being hurried by the ad-
yances Of her disease to IN cxtrem9 danger
Gus to any hope Of improvement, that he
took advantage of his privilege as citizen Of
Illinois to claim her admission to this insti-
tuti0n. This be did by strict compliance
with the laws Of the State, which arc framed
SO us to be the most perfect safeguard possible
against any Injustice. The certificates Of
attcating her insanity before she was admit
And here It may bc proper forme to men,
| tion that in this institution there is hardly
| anything which deserves the name of conflne-
| mcnt, except In the cases Of lunatics who are
| OF an extreme and violent character. ALI, Of
airy truetwortbfness, 60 in aud out almost en-
tirely Mt p1easure-thciE parole being their on
| }y rcstraint--and such was the early trust in
| Mrs. r. that ehe was made the cole carriage
driver Of tho vehicle set apart for certain 9th
er lady patients, till It was found that her
conduct made 1t not further possible. 1t is
alRo well known TINT our doors sare always
| open to vlsftosF, who con In Urge numbers
f-1utir verbal Intercourse with patients befng
only limited by tic most obvious rules Of pro-
nety and dccency- It may, also, here be
a did, thatEthe trustees Of this Institution
tho Suite, and not second to any others in
! pgobity and intelligence. They arc nssem-
| b1ed at the institution every ninety days, and
one Of their first md never omitted duties is,
| To visit the patients in their apartments, and
| receive every communication, aud lsten to
discharge is unlimited, and they arc lnick to
| exercise It in any questionable case. The &C.
Guainlarce OF these gentlemen with Mrs P.
Was immediate after her admission, and q
| meeting seldom took place that she was III
before them, either in person, or hy writing,
sR she chose.
Here 1t must be stated that the compare
tire!y limited room afforded here for the
| insane Of the State requires that those
be discharged who have remained lorg
enough to have their durability test
cd. The case Of Mrs. ?. was presented
temtcr 1853, agfecably to this rule But on
an Investigation Of the case tile presentation
as laid OYER till the next quarterly meeting
Of the Roard, and then b. vote "fndennitcly
| postponed" 1t was not till the second pre-
| stntation Of the case by the Superinteud. mt
lEetitution-some month afterward, that her
discharge was effected. And here, singular
| as it may appear, and yet not at all strange in
connection with other pcculiaritics ID her
caee, when the prospect was clear frr hcr
leaving, she a1s"lntfl] o'l tcihoM qnal'f '1tio1.
LuE1 and, her son, or her adopted sister,
| who all scycral;y urged 1t, could swcrye
| her from this determination: and when
the time required by law for the execution Of
the trustees order had expired, and the car
1uem had to be forcibly entered, her trunk
packed against her protest, and hcrselfgcntly
| carried to the vehicle in the arms of attend
nnte-tlat being the only possible way to car
| y the order into effect :.
Lest there be scme misappnehension, ! state
| TINT nothing WINS ever paid either to the State
| CT to any individual, Tor Mrs. P.'e keeping
while here Some tFia!ng charges for CLOTH
ing aud stationary being the whole Of her ac-
count at the institution. -..
In conclusion Of this, may here state ex.
rllcit1y, that I have no question whatever
that Mrs. Packard was IN insane person dur.
Ing a1l Of my acquaintance with her, and that
her committal here was as justihable as In
the majority Of those now here; that her dis
charge from hero was for reasons above stated,
and not from any doubt that she was proper
subject for an Institution. erected By tho State
for the unfortunate. And I hare no hesita
t ton in saying TINT any person Of good Intel
ligcnce, who has had sufficient op
rortunity Of iudgfng, will, sooner ol
later, share this opinion, That many
rc1sops-a Court and Jury eyen-who see tht
first display of her pleasing address, her ant
command Of language, her consunmatc tac
ind adroitncss, and her more than 1aWyer.likt
ability to put her Own case, should hold I
different opinion, does not surprise me.
Permit me to say, Mr.. Editor, that In mani
years ut tic head Of such IN institution q!
This, this Is the first time ever thought !
necessary to cxplain any case in public print
and, us tic facts and opinions above givcl
will bear auy investigation. 1t will be, in thi
casc til. last. Very rcspee italy. yours
ANDREW MCFARLAND,
Physician and Superintendent.