Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-02-13
INSANITY IN TENNESSEE.
An Earnest Plea for BuiIdinE the
Projected Hospitals.

/ and author OF the oil passed at the last
| session Of the General Assembly, pfOVid-
ing for the erection Of asylums in East and
| West Tennessee, read the following before
the Committee on Public Charities, last
evening:
To the members of the Thirty-ninth Gen
eral Assembly Of the State Of Tennes-
see.
Gentlemen-In view Of your recent ac-
tion, BY bin and otherwise, in regard to ad-
6it-Onal hospital accommodation for the in
sane Of the State, Idesine to say rs far back
as the year 1866, when in charge OF that
beautiful charity-"The Tennessee Hos
pital for the Insane'-I reported through
the Governor, to the people Of the Stale, the
then crowded condition Of the institution,
and suggested that the Legislature should
make an appropriation Of $4,000 TO each
Of the other divisions Of the State, so that
both in the vicinity Of Memphis and Knox
vile suitable lands might be purchased and
two sections Of a hospital Immediately
erected.
In my report t. the General Assembly in
1857, said eTime and additional pres
sure upon the wards gf this institution have
but convinced me Of the Indispensable ne
cessity Of providing at once and by liberal
appropriation, for carrying out The beitar
plan. e., providing a hospital in each di-
vision Of the State, which had the honor
to suggest last spring.
FThe joint committes Of the two houses,
reporting TO that session Of the Legislature,
said: 'Dr. W. 2. Jones, Superintendent,
suggests the prOpriety Of the erectiOnOf two
new institutions rs asylums for the insane,
one to be erected in each division Of the
State, that is, ore IN the Western division,
the other in the Eastern division. This, it
is believed, would be a matter not only Of
convenience but economy etc, etc
Again in 1869 my report to the Legisla-
ture contained a lengthy and urgent appeal
IN behalf Of liberal and humane provisions
fer all the insane Of the State This
lengthy and earnest appeal Of mine, was
accompanied by tie following from the
Board of Trusteesi
ut will be seen that only about one
fourth Of the insane Of the State are pro-
vided for. The Board Of Trustees concur
with the Superintendent in urging upon the
attention Of the Legislature the immediate
necessity for further provision for these
unfOrtunates. at is true" they say, ''the
State is in debt, but what higher obligation
can she owe, than the sacred duty Of pro-
lection to her own sons and daughters,
who may fall under the shadow Of this
sore afllictiOn?'
These, gentlemen Of the Legislature, are
but hasty references to some Of the appeals
which the Board Of Trustees, joint COM
mitteemen and myself have, from time to
time, made in jehalf Of the shamefully
neglected insane of the State which you
have the honor to represent,
A Joint committee Of the Senate and
House, in the year 1871, and consequently
s.nce my resignatiOn as State SuPerinteE-
dent, reporting TO the General Assembly,
said "YOur committee recommend the es-
tablishment of branches at as early
period as practicable in both the Eastern
and Western divisions Of the State. This
suggestion is prompted alike BY eOn5idsra-
tiOns Of economy as we'll as necessity
My successor, Dr.. J. II. Calender, in his
report 10 the last General Assembly, uses
the following language:
SIN the report Of lS71, as we'll as in pre-
viOus reports Of my immediate predecessor,
DR.. ". p. Jones, attention vas called TO
the urgent necessity Of increased accOmmO-
datiOns fO- the insane Of the STATE. II was
stated that by the ratio Of the insane to the
general population, as furnished by emf
nent statisucians in the specially, there lraS
not less than ttcelCe hundred insane epersOns
in the State Of Tennessee. OF these, one
hospital should not, and cannot, receive
more than One-third.n
A few years AGO the OTer-crOwding Of the
insane becsme theme for discussion in
one of the annual meetings Of American
Superintendents. Ny successor cOncured
with that eminent gentleman, DR.. ThOs. 5.
Kirkbriie, and held sthat the OyeT-rewd-
ing Of the insane hospitals is a .grie7Ous
evil" lie spoke 'fTOm experience in the
matter" He furthermore stated that Ten
nesSee "with a population Of a million and
a quarter, has but one hospital, and can
accommodate scarcely a third OF her in
sane
Now, 1 desire TO ask, is il the deliberate
purpose Of this General Assembly TO have
no other hospital9 Are YOU determined
thai more than twO-thirds Of the insane in /
Tennessee shall not be provided for, aui
that they shall suffer on as they suffer DOW"
l beg you TO remember that the hospital |
il this county, so Creditable to the STATE, |
and so favorably regarded throughout |
America, was built by special tax levied !
upon and paid by all the people Of the /
STATE; that it has been literally sustained |
by the whole people; that it is crowded |
now 10 excess; that 1t would be cruel in |
Justice 20 admit a larger number; that the |
voice Of experts and resolutions Of Ameri- |
can superintendents, are alike opposed 70 |
larger institutions than ours, or to over |
crUWding the insane. Aud remember that /
political ecOnOmy-ecauomyi in dollars and /
cents. to say nothing Of humanity, demands |
that you adequately provide, and in proper !
localities, FOR the suffering insane. The /
average Insane life is twenty years. Few 1
recover who are not kindly and judiciOUSly /
treated, whereas something like so per /
cent. when promptly submitted TO proper /
treatmen. are restored. Now viii you i
provide for the restoration Of so per cent. OF /
yOur afflicted fell0w-ciTizenS that they IN /
turn may become prOducers2 Or do you /
prefer to see insanity confirmed aud sup
pOr, each patient in a niggardly way for a /
period of twenty years
IftO facts aud arguments it should seem /
necessary to add importantly, and if, in
deed, this were more my business than
yours, l would with troublesome fre-
qUency approach each member in tie Sen
ate and House Of Representatives and with
pertinacity press the Importance Of hospital
accommodation for all the insane OF the
State. But we must and 90 see, that by
liberal and benevols mt regard for others.
we may possibly provide habitatiOns for
ourselves. We cannot know what will be
our condition tomorrow. We ordinarily |
pass along and speak confidently Of the
future, as though we had often travelled
and were familiar with the way; whereas,
every moment extended, every step taken
is new and hitherto untried. In the con-
sciousness of mental power to-day, let us
not strangely forget We have this easure
in eaTthen vessels and thai these vessels at
best are transient and dissOluble things.
Trusting that you may have the moral
courage to do right, and that the blessing Of
God and those ready to perish may come
rr,n1 rnu 1 an a. w u InNEs