The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-05-22

The physicians of the board OF health were
called together yesterday afternoon st the
City Hospital for the purpose of considering
In what manner the large and constantly In.
creasing number OF Insane at the hospital are
to be disposed of. As part of the business the
board went through the department for the
insane, and then successfully through the
other wards of the hospital. They found all
the wards scrupulously neat and clean, with
no contagious diseases under treatment in the
hospital. The bedding, sheeting, &C., in all OF
the wards have been renewed, and the long
rows of beds and the patients upon them were
neat and tidy. The floors throughout the
hospital were scrubbed and polished, and even
the cells of the most violent lunalics preseut.
ed an appearance Of neatness which would
have been credltabls to many private house.
hold.
The chief end In view being the disposal of
the insane, this department received special
investigation. OF these unfortunates there
are twenty-six now in the hospital, more than
half of these having been sent back from the
asylum at Columbia during the recent panic In
The commlssary department Of that Institution.
Most Of these are violent at intervals and re-
qulre close watching. Yesterday they were
all allowed to go out In the yard, where they
sat silently in the shade, walked up and down,
or gesticuated as their wayward fancIes i'm
PEELED them. These lunatics are mostly pos
sessed of acute perceptive faculties. They
generally converse most volubly with strang
ers, according 10 the bent Of their malady.
But turn them out together and they never
waste their eloquence upon or converse with
each other. They know well enough some
thing Is wrong and 1t is no good, 80 they keep
silent II sane man or the doctor comes
along, however, they are In for talk, aud
will keep lt-up as long as the next one. They
are better than other talking bores, however,
for when you are tired Of their nonsense you
walk of and they take no offence. The point
is, that they know sane man from lunatic
as well as the doctor himself.
There are fourteen cells for the accommo
dation of these twenty-six lrnatlcs, and as 1t
now stands the quiet ones sleep two in cell,
the raging ones have whole cells, and the
snpernumeraries are disposed OF about the
hospital. Their tricks and queer noises, how
ever, disturb the other patients Id the sick
wards great deal. This scant accommoda-
tlon is owing to the fact that the hospital was
intended only for depot, and was never
built for on insane asylum. New cells are nee.
essary, OF else the removal Of the lunalics to
their proper home in the State Asylum at
Columbia.
In addition to the Improvements In the
wards, the late repairs of the hospital kitchen
called forth the earnest commentators of the
board The kitchen has been entirely reft-
ted with new iron cooking ranges, oil approved
pattern, and furnished with all OF the latest
appliances and convenIences. The old stoves
have been taken away and the iron sold, the
brick work renewed and the whole depart
ment OF the cuisine brought Into the highest
state Of efficiency and perfection. The ranges
also furnish heated water throughout the hos.
pital. All of this has cost the city nothing.
The ranges cost s425, which was paid out of
the income derived from, the hospital itself.
Since January every department of the
hospital has been entirely rertted with bed
ding, sheetlng, coverlids, &C., the office re-
paired. and this, including the expenses for the
cooking ranges and various other convent
euces for tile patients, cost eleven hundred
dollars. Every cent of this has been paid
from the fund derived from the hospital Itself,
and In addition to this the sum OF eleven hum
dred and fifty dollars has been turned over
above these expenses into the city treasury
since January.
The hospital Is managed by the surgeon, j.
Somers BuIst, NJ. D., assisted by Drs. Huger
and Schroeder in the medical department, and
Mr. c. s. Fairly, the efficient hospital steward.
The condition of the institution and lts pro.
gress is gratifying sign of the success of the
nor hooltb hilla nromnent am0nV tha