Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-07-09
The Vermont Insane Asylum.


sion Of the legislature TO examine into the
conduct and management of this Institution,
aud which has been generally known as the
Gray Committee" have concluded their
work, and made their report to the Governor.
The Committee find that the asylum is
not, as has been generally supposed, the prop
erty Of the state, but of a private and close
cooperation, managed by four trustees, who
are at present A. Reyes, N. b. Willistou,
Frederick Holbrook and Daniel Kellogg all
of Brattleboro. These trustees, while refus- |
ing to recognize any authority in the com.
mittee, yet afforded them free access to oil
parts Of the buildings aud grounds and in
spection Of the records and other papers of
the institution, and treated them with uni
form courtesy. They find that in 1885,
the State, by the act Of their Legislature,
gave ten thousand dollars, to be paid in five
annual instruments Of two thousand dollars
each in 1886 the State granted an addi-
tional two thousand dollars 10 1887 four
thousand dollars: in 1910 two annual install
ments of two thousand dollars in S43 three
thousand dollars, makingin all twenty-three
thousand dollars. They do not find, since
the gift in lS43 by the State of three thou
send dollars, that any considerable dona-
ton has been made to the institution by the
State, or by any corporation or by private
individuals; hence the present property Of
the institution has grown from the fund Of
tweuty-tbrec thousand dollars received pre-
vious to 1874. In 1862 the centre build
ing and wings Of the Institution were burn
ed They were Immediately rebuilt, aud
again occupied in 1864 The expense Of
rebuilding was about forty thousand dollars.
The whole cost Of the Institution, as re-
ported by the Commissioner for the Insane,
in his Biennial Report Of 1872, was 1924
$1,000, including twelve hundred acres Of
land The present value Of the property,
as estimated by Gov. Holbrook, one Of the
trustees, is S500,00000. The committee
estimate it at a very considerable excess of
that amount The interest Of the State in
this vast property is simply that, by the
acts of 1910 aud 1913, if it ceases to be
an Insane Asylum the State have lieu
upon it for the security Of the twenty-three
thousand dollars heretofore invested
The Committee have made three several
visits to the asylum. At the time Of their
first visit they found the number of patients
to TO four hundred and eighty -6ve, with
proper accommodations for only three hun
dred About seventy.dye of the patients
were, at the time of this visit, confined in
underground apartments which were damp
unwholesome, and entirely uu6t for occupa.
tion by human beings The sleeping apart.
ments in this underground portion were
small, lily ventilated, warmed and lighted
the sleeping apartments of the males being
altogether too small, while some of those il
: the female ward were only nine feet ii
depth by four in width and eight in height
opening into narrow hall and ventilated
only by eight two inch augur holes bOret
. through the door. About midway of tn,
length of one of these lower wards, and a
the end Of another ward and at the side
: are sinks which receive the urine and sop
from the wards above, and at all seasons
: the year must impart unwholesome odors
> On the occasion of the first visit although
= disinfectants had been freely used, the com
u mittee found the odors extremely unpleasant
: They regard the confinement Of any person
sane or insane, 10 these underground apart
y ments to be cruel, and that the officers an,
. employees of the institution should be pro
hibited under heavy penalties frou here
= after placing any insane person in thes
apartments. They also find the whole o
the asylum iuadcquately warmed aud ven
= tilated.
= The Committee visited asylums for th
4 insane at Concord, n. H., and at North
= ampton, Mass, and they comment freel
u upon the comparative absence at Brattle
u boro of anything to relieve the harsbnes
of restraint, like pictures on the wall, prop
err and attractive places for exercise, an
the neglect of the officers of the insttu
=, ton to collect the patients in the chape
to read, or cause to be read to them, poetr,
or prose, and TO entertain them with music o
a lecture, whereby patients minds may be 70
time turned from themselves or the par
g ticular subject Of their mania into othe
channels. The neglect of the officers a
Brattleboro to provide these for the anne
Iteration of the condition of their patient
: was brought out prominently and painful
Q by visits to these other institutions, wher
e such matters are particularly attended to
They also find that punishments are some
times inflicted at the asylum, and that tn
. punishment known as bathing has been in
: ficted upon patients by the attendants, an
by the order of the superintendent, in tn
manner following; The patient for som
offence, or supposed offence, is taken to tn
> bath room, his hands tied, laid upon his bac
in the bath tub, and the faucet turned, al
II lowing stream of cold water to run upo
the head and face while the body is immers
> ed in tepid water, and is so kept until re
II leved by the attendant. This punishment
they regard as brutal and wholly uncalle
for, and recommend law providing heav
IN fines for any such future outrage. Sue
t, punishments are unknown in the other in
ID stitutions which they visited.
&c The committee also believe that Their
ID should be radical change in the law
is regulating the admission of patients, an
lie that the statute of 1855 ought to be re
N peaed. This statute provides that med
II ical examiner should be appointed by tn
&c Court Of Chancery of Windham County
g whose certificate of the insanity of an
g person proposed for admission should