Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-12-29
,1AlNEiNsANE HOSPITAL.
Reports eff Superintendent and Trustees -
Farming OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES hecon-
mendatIon.-RepoIt of steward

Hospital DR.. Henry NJ. Harlow, has been submit
mitted to the trustees, to whose courtesy we are
indebted for the following abstract:
SUPERINTENDENT's REroET.
There were four hundred and eleven patleats at
the beginning of the year, POS men and 206 women:
There have been received since, 1876 men and
SO women, making the whole number OF patients
under treatment SIX hunGred-30l men and 293
women.
Two hundred and seven have been discharged
| 100 men and 9S women, leaving IN the hospital
Nov. 80, 1874, three hundred AMI ninety three
| 1874 men and 1919 women.
| The condition Of those discharged was as fol
lows recovered 81 men and 30 women improved
| ii men and 10 women; unimproyed 80 men and
| 81 women 81 men and lSwomcn have died. The
dai " average number Of patients has been 4O6.
In consequence of large number OF lDcurahe
| cases being discharged by order OF law, the PEI
| cent. of recoveries the number admitted Is
scmewha. reduced, being only about 81 per
cent. and on the number dischargedis still lower,
being about 81, while last year it exceeded 10 per
cent.
| The longest time ia the hospital Of any patient
| who recovered was 80 weeks, the shortest time .
weeks, TIE average time 26 weeks.
The average ages Of those who died was about
80 years. the causes of death were general par
alvsis IL ; exhaustion of chronic insanity 9; con-
sumption, I epilepsy, Al apopleXy, paralysis, )
| exhau stive mania, 3 senie insanity, 3; milan a
| ton of the bowels, q dysentery, / cnronc dla-
| rrhea, |; general urorsy, ; TanSlouc, , nealt
disease, | suicide |.
Ii is a noticeable fact that general paralysis for
the last ten or fifteen years has been most alarm
| ingly on the increase. twenty-five years ago II
was rare to receive paticLt suffering from pare
| 81, ii is now the most common occurrence. As
| the exciting cause the major part ofthese casts
| NAV be traced to the eXCesses OF life, the more
prominent of which over stimulation III eat
| ing ana drinking, and the excessive venely so
ntimatly connected with the use OF alcoholic stm-
| ulants.
| OF those admitted the past year, the assigned
cause of insanity i'll health. 80; intemperance
| II domestic affection, l6; eXertion, II; crit
zeal period life, ID puerperal, s; mastul baton,
s dlsaI pointed affection 6; general paralysis, D;
injury OF head, epilepsy, 4 loss OF properly, ) :;
paralysis, q decay Of old age, , exposure to Geld,
. spirtuaism, . religious excitement, ?; fright !,
| | suppressed discharge from car, healing of an
ulcer, yeneIy, sun stroke, embarrassment in busl-
| ness, and excessive use OF opIun, | e8Ch; loss
| of friends .; unknown, 80.
| Ofthose admitted during the year, 40 males and
| A. females married 43 males and - females
| were single, 1 we've widowers and II were wild
| ows
| The hospital was first opened for reception Of
patients in October 1910 since which time 4i0i
| have be en- admitted for treatment. OF these iOll
| have been discharged OF when 100 recovered :;
| 761 improved, Go were unimproved, and 199 have
| died.
| Under the law oc the last legislature requiring
the discharge of demented patients 81 were desig-
mated for dischaI ge by the Trustees. OF these 81
were sent from the hospital, died pending the or
der for removal, and the orders for the discharge
| of 6 were rcconsidered. Nirc of this class have
been returned as unsafe TO go at large. The most
of those removed are in aim house; some in pri-
yae families and in hospitals in other states, and a
Jew are believed to be travelling about from place
to place, sleeping where night overtakes them, in
barns and outhuldngs. The wisdom of the stat
utcs requiring the discharge of his clas is severe
ly criticized.
| The chapel building has been fitted up for the
accommodation of patients the lower story Tor me n
and the upper story for women. There are IL
rooms in each .tory; by placing patients in the
The building being detached its Use viii be attend
ed with Inconvenience. This will enable the re-
cepton of all applicants for admission during
the year but will not relieve the crowded condition
of the wards. The last moment of delay for
commencing a new hospital has been reached.
a chapel, lecture room or amusement hall, is
an essential appointment of every hospital
tits urged flat building 20 feet by 40, and 3
stories high be erected IN the rear OF the centre
building, the first floor to be occupied kitch-
en- and store room, the second to be furnished a
an amuseme nt hall, and the third furnished 70,
dormitories for assistants.
The need OF airing courts is more and more
felt every year; for this purpose it is suggested
that the ravne north the hospital be fenced ard
improved, provided with paths and rustic bridges
A considerable amount of repairs will be ie-
CURED the coming year. Nearly every hall needs
to be painted some OF the floors to be relaid, and
furniture renewed.
There some ID insane criminals in the hos
pital and their presence is not beneficial to the
other patients. There should be separate build
ing provided for this class either in connection
with the State Prison or with the hospital.
| THE FARM.
The farm operations the past season have been
highly satisfactory. A large brick and cement val
of 420 hogsheads capacity, li0xl2 feet, and feet
deep, divided into fourteen compartments, each
connected with the other by an opening the
partition, which may be opened and shut as re
CURED has been constructed for the purpose o.
utilizing the sewage of the hospital for the farm
1t is proposed to construct similar watts at the out
lets of each of the other two sewers.
Over hundred rods of under drains have beer
laid which will serve to reclaim the land and in
, crease its grass qualities.
The principal supply of water is re ceived from
a fountain mile and quarter east of the hospi
tai, high enough to gravitate into the attcs Of thu
wings. 1t runs continually through three incl
cast iron pipe, and furnishes abundance Of pure
spring water. The fountain and reservoir have
been improved the past year to meet the increased
wants OF the hospital.
Expense of operating the farm including stock
hay, grain, and farming tools on hand last report
some $l2 700, amounts to $l9676Si. The product
limo stncE ha, too