New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-02


mont
The NORTH HOSPITAL.
nournfnl sight il presented 10 the visitor al tnis
hospital Little convalescents OF two or three years OF
ego were grouped upon the first porch as we sscended
Il The, were having tea-party all to themselves
the dishes and cups consisting OF nondescrlpt rag
pents Of glass and china; but they Immediately
deserted it, and todd,sd up for the hand shake
which all Of these children 80 yearningly crave.
hind word from the good doctor, OF chuck under the
chin from visitors hand is probably cheerful event
n their little daytime Of suffering and enjoyment and
Aese cheap gifts are generally beautifully bestowed.
b. with two or three Of them Juggling at our coat tails
ve entered near ward containing IL or Is BEDS sew
ral Of which were occupied by patients.
Upon the snowy pillow OF the first lay the whittier
oAeek of sleeping infant in the last stages of consump
ton Without parents and without other friends than
shose Of public charity, its little life slowly ebbing
away upon the tul breathing Of that CHASTITY disease
into the great nursery Of the other world, where its
mother probably waiting with outstretched arms
70 receive the fragile, broken form.
Another patient was suffering with hip disease with
prospect of recovery. There number OF ahec'
tons Of this nature well Of the spine In most OF
the latter the subject hopelessly and IN some
Instances hideously deformed There was one
ease Of St. Vituss dance thought TO be durable; anu
avery remarkable Casa boy of about SIX years-oi
satalepsy. This child was a mere automaton. AT a
ssn from the physician he wonld rise from his seat and
approach as IL by no effort Of his own volition Ihe
doctor would then raise the patients arm al rlg"'
angle with his shoulder, when it would remain In Una
position perfectly rigid for hours if not put down by
another agency than the will Of the child At another
aign he resumed as mechanically and rigidly as before
But BY far the most painful Of disease were
those Of scrofua anc other loathsome affections of
like nature for these were not only incurable but
hereditary. The sin Of the parent was continued in h
child The eer Of olden lust and passion would spring
from the bleared eyes chidhood the echoes OF long
hushed drunkard laughs would murmur from the lips OF
infancy and the fever and foulness which had poisoned
the blood Of some prostitute to death would hush in
scrofuous spots of yellow and crimson the baby cheek
with startling and horrible dstinctness. Most OF these
unhappy offspring of he'll earth are incurabe. and
BY the mercy Of Providence, will pass to world
where the sin Of the father Is longer visited upon the
child.
The hospital dormitories are comfortable and cool,
and the patients appear to receive every possible sten
ton
The South Hospital is the same in its arrangements
and hasty description Of its patients would not mate
rally differ from that just given; so We viii pass TO
TIE IDIOT ASYLUM,
which is the chief object Of interest the part OF most
visitors The first request Of ladies and gentlemen
young and DID, upon reaching the island, is usually to
"see the idiots though after having seen them. one
would think their morbid curiosity must be efectuay
satisfied for ell time TO come.
Certainly more mournful, melancholy and loath
some sight cannot be well described. A lunatc asylum
a ~ "A -hnl. In Epy
even the very wreck of intellect is reminder that there
has been time when the minds of the uDfoi Inmates
were lucid and strong. But the hopelessness the
wretchedness and the despair presented by the Idiot
Asylum. unreheved by the consciousness Of anything
higher in the past perhaps better in the future form
picture Of horror at which the sensitive mind revos
and from which 1t would speedily fly.
A dozen patients were romping poisly and sense
yessly In the yard as we entered These Of in
segence brighter rather less darkened than those
In the interior Of the buildng. One two Of them
we're not absolute idiots but subject to fits ots Of
memory. etc. which rendered it prudent to keep them
apart from the nursery children.
Upon entering the building--a large and commodous
one Of red brck-we ushcred into a room around
The sides Of which seated about 20 children vary
ing in age from twelve years. One little fel
low at the door seemed 10 know enough to stretch out
his hand to VOC. in painfully vacant way bat most Of
the other subjects merely sat STILL with such constant
current Of smiles ripping their lips that you
aefed II they would not il time wear away
ne flesh to notlngness. But they will
probably ripple on till the breath Of their
unfortunate lives shall! cease to flow. One Of the
patients in this ward was suffering with water the
brain monstrous head ca inches in crcumference)
leaned back from neck Of painful attenuation the
cushioned back Of an arm chair with two humid eyes
locking Istessy from beneath their haf.clcsed lids
One would think that example or two Of this kind
would effectually damp the ardor Of first cousin
contemplating mathmony with another aud have
eject Of lessenng tie system o! ntermarriagc gen.
orally A deaf old woman offciated as the matron Of
this ward and hustled about the room arranging the
chairs of the idiots and making herself generally useful
IN Q very business way.
Proceeding up stairs we reached the next ward
where are confined the patients who are apt to be vio
lent at times But the monotonous inanity Of the lower
room was here met with again Presently Or. Whit.
siesey called up John" John is q repetition Of the
Asec brood is about five feet high is 81 years Of age,
and probably weighs 100 pounds The top Of his head
k about the size of the half Of very small cocoanut
and ia covered with short thick shiny black hair The
skull measures 10 inches In circumference. His
rose Is large, his mouth enormous with PEI.
psualy grnning teeth be hss the ghost Of chin and
no forehead at all. He to the doctors call on
sort Of run. having become accustomed to the name
The Doctor asked him something, and he stuck his
finger into his mouth by wsy Of answer; he asked him
something else, and he gave q laugh which sent us
down stairs with curdling blood There may be an.
sber story and another idiot aquarium to the building
but the queer-fsh John was enough for us. and we