The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-09-07
IN THE LUNATIC ASYLUMS.


ner's Monthly, the insane in all coun-
tries, for upward Of two thousand years,
have been treated barbarously. Harm
less lunatics were permitted to wander
about the country, the sport and butt of
men and boys. If they became at all
troublesome, they were tied up and
we're then thrown into loathsome dun
geons, secluded and neglected. Indeed,
it has been said by writer who made
the subject his lifelong study (Conolly),
that there was not town or village in
all the fairest countries OF Europe in
which such enormities were unknown.
The earlier institutions prepared for the
care Of insane were gloomy prisons Of
the worst description. In France, we
are told that attendants were selected
from the notorious criminals and male
factors, and to the tender mercies of
these unhung wretches were committed
the sick and infrm insane. These at
tendants, nearly always armed with
heavy whips, and sometimes accom-
panied by savage dogs, had unlimited
sway over the poor creatures committed
to their care. They were free to impose
whatever punishment they chose, and as
a consequence chains, manacles, stripes,
uncleanness, starvation, and even the
garotte were characteristic OF these es-
Establishments in Europe.
An elaborate report upon the condi-
ton OF the insane in France was pub
lished some years ago, in which there is
a history of the condition of the insane
prior to the time of Pinel. 1t would
appear from this and other reports that
some OF the insane in the large hospitals
Bicetre and Saltpetriere were confined
in cells attached to high terraces or else
below the surrounding earth, both being
damp and unwholesome. These cells
were six feet square; air and light were
admitted only by the door, and food was
introduced through small wicket. The
only furniture was narrow plank fast
ened into the wall and sometimes cov-
cred with straw. At the Saltpetriere
many of the cells were below the drains,
and large rats made their way into them,
and often attacked and severely injured
the insane, and sometimes were the oc-
casion of their death.
DR.. Pariset describes the condition of
the insane in the Bicetre as even worse.
He found the vicious, the criminal, the
wild and noisy, ell mingled together and
treated alike. He describes them as
gretched beings, covered with dirt, kept
N cold, damp, narrow cells, with scarce
ly a ray of light to cheer them, and with
neither table, chair nor bench to sit
upon. The patients were loaded with
chains, and were defenaeless against the
brutality of their keepers. The build
ing resoupded day and night with cries
and yells and the clanking of chains and
fetters. No efforts were made to enter
tain or amuse then-no authority over
locked this dreadful place. There were
no flowers, no trees, not even blade of
grass, that could be seen; the unfortu-
mates were as in a tomb.
Such was the condition Of the insane
in France, when Pincl, moved by the
unhappy state in which he found human
beings, began reform which will rem
Ter his name immortal. Having first
obtained consent of the government, he
entered upon his errand of mercy. His
first act is described as follows There
might without danger be unclaimed, and
ne began by releasing them, with the
sole precantion of having previously
prepared the same number OF waistcoats
with long sleeves, that could be tied be-
hind if nece' sary. The first man on
whom the experiment was to be tried
was an English captain, whose history
no one knew, as he had been in chains
forty years. He was thought to be one
of the most furious among them. His
keepers approached him with caution, as
he had i'll fit of frenzy killed one of
them with a blow of his manacles:
He was chained more vigorously than
any of the others Pinel entered his
cell unattended, and calmly said to him.
" Captain, L will order your chains to
bo taken off and give you liberty to walk
in the court if you will promise me to
behave well and injure no one." eyes,
L promise, said the maniac; " but you
are laughing at me-" 81 have six
men" answered Pinel, "ready to en-
force my commands if necessary. Be-
lieve me, then, on my word; will give
yon your liberty if you will put on this
wai3tcoat."
He submitted to this willingly with
out word. His chains were removed,
and his keepers retired, leaving the door
Of tho cell open. He raised himself
many times from his seat, but fell again
upon it, for he had been in sitting os-
tnre so long that he had lost the use of
his limbs. In quarter of an hour, he
succeeded in maintaining his balance,
and with tottering steps came to tue
door of his dark cell. His first look was
at the sky, and he cried out enthusiastic-
ally: "How beautiful !" During the
rest of the day was constantly in mo-
tion, walking up and down and uttering
short ordinations of delight. In the
evening, he returned of his own accord
to his cell, where better bed had been
prepared for him. During the two sue
ceeding years that he spent at the BIZ
cetre, he had no return of his previous
paroxysms, and even rendered himself
useful by exercising kind of authority
over the insane patients, whom he ruled
IL his own fashion.
But this magnificent reform was slow
in making its way. Nearly forty years
after Pinel begun his work in the Bice-
tire, the asylums in other parts of France
still continued their brutal and inhuman
treatment. Esquirol, who succeeded
Pinel, visited nearly every asylum in
France, and lsbored indefatigably to
better the condition of the inmates.
Writing in 1918, he says that he
found ths insane in many places naked,
and protected only by straw from damp,