The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-29
INSANE ASILUMS.
ANNUAL CONVENTION OF MEDICAL
rERlNTENDENrS.

The annual meeting of the Association Of
Medical Superintendent OF American Iusti-
;uliun> for the Insane commenced at the
EuaV House, in Baltimore, on Tuesday.
The Association numbers nearly one hun
,rcd members. from all sections of the
Union. and embraces Canada. About forty
live members were present yesterday. The
meeting i held i'll room ia of The hotel,
where il sessions took place twenty years
ago: sine" which time it has not met in Bal
,imorc until NOW. There are thirteen men,
bcr> living who then belonged TO the ASSo-
citation. uinc Of whom were present on this
occasion.
hrs. Striking and Conrad. of Virginia.
and DR.. Fuller. of North Carolina, were
among the members III attendance.
DR.. John ). Butter i president, DIR. {. W.
Nichols vice-preSidcnt, and Dr. John Car
wen, secretary.
The morning session WAS principally de-
voted to the discussion of the general care of
the insane. under three hCad>-,iz., the
colorcd class, the criminal class, and the
epileptic and imbeclle class. The points
discussed were whether insane criminals
should be treated i'll special hospitals or re-
tanned, H. they generally now are, in public
hospitals, amouc ordinary patients: the in
crease OF insanity Among the colorcd popu-
ltti"u, and the general movement for the
car" Of the insane in the States under lcgis.
latvc action. The questions We're ably dis.
cus>cd 10y DR.. Strlmrt. DR.. Green. DR.. Earle.
DR.. Gray, DR.. Walker. Dr. Calender. DR..
Tyler. DR.. Nichols. and DR.. Stribling.
1t was argued that special hospitals or Sc
lnrate apartments should he erected for in
I'll IL
in connection with State hospitals and pri.
sons for such persons. In this connection il
WAS argued 10y DR.. Tyler that there was i.
liability of Il relapse Of the disease. hence il
WIS II very important point in jurisprudence
rs to how long SHOULD be the confinement
"f Insane criminals after apparent recovery
OF the person 80 confined. 1t WAS shown by
some Of the speakers that there was recently
IN increase of insanity among the ColOred
people.
Dir. S,rihling discussed particularly the
provisions that should he made for celortd
insane persons. His version Of the law in
Virginia III the time slavery existed was that
institutions were not obliged TO care for the
coorcu luSluc That each Shareholder was TO
care for his own insane OF that class. The
speaker bad advocated before the Virginia
Ipnl~ EltlTc llEtI tueTc SitSulu DC Separate III
stitutionS or separate buildings for the col
orcd Insane. Insanity among the colorcd
class in Virginia. he said, was greatly OH the
increase. In the time OF slavery he did not
think there were over fifty insane colorcd
people in the State. Now, he thought, the
census would show that there were three or
four hundred.
1t WAS shown during the discussion that
there WAS steady increase in the sympathy
manifested by the public for the care of the
insane, and more liberal appropriations for
the founding of insane institutions were
being made. it was argued that persons
who commit murder white insane, and We're
therefore dangerous, should be confined
separately, - as to not disturb others who
were pcaccahly disposed and quiet in their
delncanor.
The President appointed Drs. Tyler, Strib-
ling, and Bar>tuw us a committee to nomi-
nate officers of the Association, and in adj
vance of the nominations announced his re-
>i.naton rs presiding officer. after thinking
he Association for the kindness, turbcar-
ancc. &c, extended him.