Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-10-13
Extracts from the Report OF the Commissioner
OF Insane.
Hon. HhnmGn G. Frrin. -Auditor Of 44c.
counts

Insane, at Hartford. Connecticut tn,
Kings County Insane Asylum, at Flatbush
Long Island; the New York City Lunati,
Asylum. on Blackwell's Island, New York
the Bloomingdale Asylum for the Insane
near New York City; the Butler Hospital
for the Insane, at Providence, Rhode Is
land ; the State Lunatic Hospital, at Taun.
ton. Massachusetts, and the State Lunatit
Hospital at Northampton. Massachusetts
being three in the State of New York, two in
Massachusetts, one in Connecticut and one
IN Rhode Island Z; Comprising both State
and, so-called, private Institutions those
of small and large size. | have also care
| fully studied the history of the asylum at
Brattleboro, from its opening December IL,
1886, to the present. time. as detailed by the
Annual Reports OF the Trustees and Super
intendents and Commissioners of the In
sane; in its financial aspect, in its relations
to the State, and in its successive plans for
the care and treatment of the insane of this
State, and the fultillment of the grand de-
sign of such an institution
The present year, 1876. the whole num-
Der OF patients, August l. was 459,
classed as follows State Benefciaries and
Transient Insane, 29O; patients from out of
the State, l62; private patients, from this
State, 81.
FINANCIAL RELATION To THE STATE.
The property at present consists of the
original buildings, with the extensive addi-
tons enumerated, besides many accessory
and Out-buildings. not occupied by patients
and not included among the above aGdl-
tlons, together with twelve hundred acres
OF land. The whole cost of the Institution,
as reported by the Commissioner of the In
sane. IN September, 1872, was, at that time,
without the large additions made in 1873,
S234 so 90, but the real value was es-
tlmated far in excess of this amount, owing
to the natural rise of property, and the in
creased, productIveness of the land If We
subtract from this amount S33 900 90,
which was the original capital invested,
more than two thirds of which was furnish
ed by .he State, and which was tho cost of
the original buildings, with fifty acres of
land, 1t will leave S20l SO as the profits
which have accrued from the receipts for
the board of patients, over and above all
expenditures. Now, more than two-thirds
OF this might be said to belong in equity to
the State. certain proportion Of which, II
received by the State, should be divided
among the different towns that have sent
patients to this Asylum. and have partially
supported State Benehciaries, while the
AEdu~ltul lIlStut are Wholly -uIlDINtl lIUD
the State Treasury D., and yet neither the
State nor the towns have any lien upon
these profits
1t is plain, therefore, that the
seyen last additions were not necessary to
accommodate the insane of this S:ate, and
by contributing to the accumulation Of
profits, from which they were built. the
State has assisted. for the last thirty years.
in building up huge establishment, not
for the benefit of itS own insane, but 10
their great detrlment, as will be shown fur
ther on in this report.
The financial relation, then. Of the state to
this Institution has been neither more nor
less than partnership with private cor
porstion, which was entered into over
thirty years ago.
As bGSino~~ transaction it stands as fol-
lows The State furnished large propor-
tion Of the capital to start with, and has
also since furnished large proportion-in-
creased by every device OF leglslauon-ot
the material TO do business with, and the
result now ls that the private corporation
has for its share an immense accumulation
of profits. securely invested IN valuable
lands,-made continually more 50 by the
productive labor Of patients sent by this
State. and costly buildings, while the State
Las hD0NAAANl1 hpAhAAE AOA - VI
tainly unique and one-sided partnership.
such a., think, has no parallel The cor
poration have all the p-ohis, and the State
has dearly bought experience, which.
trust it may profit by.
| have compared the vital results OF the
first ten yesrs-the whole of the first de-
cade-when the number of the patients in
the Asylum never exceeded 300, with those
OF the last ten years. when the number has
averaged sol, and find that while the per
cent. of rec0veries the trst period was IL %,
it has been only - 20 during the last; that
is. nearly twice a. many recovered then as
do now. On the other hand. while the per /
cent. Of deaths was only : .l2 the first de-
cade. it has been 20.73 the last that i, /
two and one-half times as many are dying /.
)f late years as did then, and only about /
1ne-h half "a many recovering.
DOES THIS ASYLUM MEET The REQUIREMENTS or I
a wEIL-REGULArED INSTITUTION FOR THE /
CURE OF THE INSANE?
In my opinion it does not now. and has |
not since the first ten years. and since the .
number OF it, patients has exceeded three /
hundred. 1t has gone far beyond the size
,apablc of the best success IN the cure OF
insanity. lt has put upon It's Superlntend-
snts such a burden and 50 much labor that
hey have had little or no time to use and
improve those high qualifications OF medi-
al skill and experience for which they were
mainly selected. They are reduced by this
pressure upon their time and energies to
mere superintendents, comparatively, and
anything like individual treatment Of the
patients is impossible. 1t has lot increased
Is appliances and facilities for cure, as the
'ize increased. In fact. as whole, they
nave been decreased as a comparison Of the
irst years OF its history with the present
will show.
Then. there were religious exercises for
he patients. once daily, which consisted OF
eading the Scriptures, singing and prayer,
besides the Sunday services. N0r, there
re only the Sunday services.
Then. there was greater proportional
mount of personal freedom and exercise in
he open air allowed than now.
As an illustration There are eighty five
male patients confined in what is called the
Iarsh building. of whom sixty are State
and Transient Insane. OF about
ne-half of all the male patients OF these
lasses who are supported by the State and
owns at this Asylum. This is separated
rom the main buildings OF the Asylum by
public highway, and all the provisions,
eady prepared. are carried over for each
neal from the kitchens of these buildings
0 the patients of the Marsh building,-a
roceeding poorly calculated to encourage
he appetite or inspire seli-esteem. Its
alls are dimly lighted and wholly devoid
{ embellishments even the few pictures
n one or two of the halls are so wanting in
lerit as to corrupt good taste. Nearly all
he views from its windows arc shut of,
ither by buildings. or high hill closely
butting upon its rear. or the yard for the
iring and exercise of the patients. This
ard is about 100 feet square, and is en-
losed by high. tight board fence. COM
letely shutting out all views, except of the
XIV aboye-snggestIng the thought that the
atients must look there only for relief
With no shrub, or tree, or grass. or means
f amusement, with only seats for them to
it on. and gaze into each others forbidding
hour after hour. And this
5 the space allowed them out of l,2O0
cres of land. for all the fresh air and exer-
Use nearly all Of them get, and they arc
rateful for even this but what does it do
owards their cure?
Then, they had a billiard table and
owling salley, which were much used.
Noi0. there is no billiard table in use at all,
nd the bowling alley is out of repair, and
ften used as lumber room, and but little
sed by the patients. The new game of
roquet is INDUCED in to some extent by
mail portion of the inmates of the main
during the pleasant days of the
hort summer season.
Then, for music, they had one piano and
ne melodeon. Noio. they have one piano
nd two cottage organs only accessible to
he patients Of the wards in which they are
laced.
Then, for literary exercises. there was
ublished an Asylum Journal, which "fur-
ished large amount of employment for
he patients" and flor which they received
n exchange about two hundred newspapers,
which furnished large amount of inter
sting reading" This was discontinued in
be year 1916, and has never since been pub
ished. Now, there is nothing of this kind
D take its place.
The continual addition of wings N near
Y every direction. and the engagements
nd new buildings, have more and more
hut out the sunlight from the halls-so