New-York tribune., 1874-04-06
INSANE PATIENTS OVERDOsED WITH
DRUGS


Is INSANITY A BODILY DISEASE f-ExcEssrvE HEDr-
CATION PRACrIcED ONLY IN THIS COUNTRY
HALE MILLION DOLLARS IN THE PRESENT SUP
PLY BILL FOR FOUR NEW AsYLUMs.
70 Ihe Eattor OF The Tribune
SIR: THE TRIBUNE has rendered valuable
seryice to the public Ia It's reports OF Dr. BroHn
seduars lectures neryeforce and nervous disorders
II would not be easy 10 Oyerestmate the Importance OF
his advice that practitioners should make greater ana
more scientific OF moral treatment IN dlsease-
Strange 10 sy the whole Of remedies addressed
directly the mind has become entirely neglected Id
this country even in the treatment of insanity "mie
We have spent millions in beautiful stes and palatlai
syums for our insane IL has been forgotten tnat TINS
costly style was adopted solely with view to its cura
tive effects through the imagination and the IeelhRs
DR. GRAY OF the Utica Asylum 30 far az 10 nsau
tnat insanity nothing but bodily disease "ncn
must be treated with medicines az any other ana t''
it s neither caused cured BY moral agencies 10 ac
for seven years past repors Of this asylum nave
shown no cases of insanity from moral causes
while they show a yearly expenditure of nearly 800"
for medicines Now 1 confess there Ia something
shocking 20 me the wholesale admnstratioh OF uIueS
which the Insane in asyums are compehed !"
undergo, oD shallow mechanical or ehehio"t
theory OF insanity bodily disease. sixty years ago
t appeared IN evidence before the British HOUSE VI
Commons that the lunatics in Bethlehem Hospital were
purged bed batned, and yomlted at regular perious
nearly IN asse This was considered an upreasonaDe
ro,tine-as 20 the medication, least-although the
intervals OF treatment were six months no" muon
more destructive must 10 the daily oosne ""io"
asylum doctors in THE country pride themSiVeS upo
II shoud be noted against such cruel reckless
meas An ,ne use Of drugs the Massachusetts board vi
state Charities has repeatedly entered is protest. Jul
ann.rentlv with little effect say Also that the
asvIums of other countries afford example OF tis
kind Of praetce In a late visit 70 several EnRiSn
asyiums, did not find siugie patient under the''
treatment for his insanity while learned that he oo''
of medicines per patient was generally less tn"n
onetenth that OF the Utica institution The only pnysf
cal treatment of insanity which came under my no'cs
IN Paris was an elaborate system Of baths at the ne"
asylun OF g. Aune In these asylums the better phyS
cal condition OF the patients, compared with our OWL
was noticeable. They had not been subjected 10 Inc
bIancnng with bromldes and lodides' ine posoni"s
with strychnia and phosphorus and the paryzng win
alcoholics aud narcotics. in which the treatment VI "
sanity az a bodily disease consists.
The Supply bill this year, notice, appropraees
more than 100000 toward the completion Oh iour new
establishments for the insane, now building one VI
these the Willard Asylum sets forth no theory Oh incur
cation but claims q mission OF charity ana ecoho"'
simply The Homeopathic Asylum s small instituio"'
which it ia deVouCly be hoped. Will adhere 10 t"o
principle OF infntessimals forever But the o'nei
two AZ Buffllo aud Poughkeepse, are for thc
medical treatment Of insanity, and. II eou'
pleted az they have been begun, Will pro"ue
for 500 patients at OF 10000 for each paten'
The greaest cost per pa'ient OF any nIeed ak
years ago. under the Hau-smann regime Inc ,bs
branch Of the Essex County Asylum was Duilt ~ st
greatest per patient o any IN England, and me S
Il is TOO evident that the hospital sylums Of this ssm
are IN he hands of medical aud party politicians WIZ
have brought quaekery and JooDery into Ut a r no
Are the sums aa PR m. mSns II e area1y saaan
dered Buffalo aud POughkeepsie Inis wou'u W. naj