New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-03-16
COST OF THE INSANE.
DIR. II. b. WTLBUR's REPORT.

fFRoM the REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THa IRiBUHf'I
ALBANY, March 1.-The cXtTaylgant policy INTO
which ts State has djfted with respect to the care
Of is insane dependents has long been AZ object Of
concern to those who saw clearly the evils which
Lad arisen in the system, and has been theme OF
repeatcd protests from the Executive, especially as
these evils not only greatly increased the expense OF
tho State insane asylums 10 taxpayers, but, II
was alleged, did much to impair their efficiency
While there has been general tendency toward e&-
tavagancc in.eycry branch Of official expenditure
the average tax payer would perhaps have scarcely
expected to find in the insane asJ uluS Of inc elaVe
many OF the same evidences Of waste AID rc'hIosS-
ness as in our prisons. The cost Oh the cohS'Iuc-
zion of almost any one Of them IL pubic
scandal which tic Executive exposes in vain. In
many cases it exceeds on the ratio OF inmates, the
cost OF magnificent New-York hotels while the cost
n maintenance Of th5 inmates is double what 1t 10
IN other States, or in Great Britain OF European
countries.
It was to mako investigations, with view to
remcdying some OF these evils. that Dr. II. Is.
Wilbur, for many years superintendent of the
Syracuse idiot Asylum, went abroad last Summer
credited wi5 Letters from Gov. Tilden and the State
Board OF Charities 20 visit tho British asylums and
report the result OF lis observations. This report
which d.. Wilbur has submitted to the State Board
of Charities. ana which las just been printed en-
bodies many interesting conclusions and obSsrya-
TONS Chiefly as to the economic side Of tho qucs-
ton.
As to the cost Of the construction Of asylums, Dr.
Wilbur found that the Commissioners Of Lmacy
gave tho maximum cost at $50, OF about $50. per
patient including land and furniture. \ model
asyiuniad ju5tDccn COMPLIMENTARY d,inaWay
10 meet tho approval OF tho Commits )ncr'. at cost
oflcse t,ar $50 per patient. IL Massachusetts, On
the other Land tho cost Of two asyls IN the course
of construction is from 500 To 5000 for each
patient. One is nearly completed IN NCw-Jer5cy 1T
an estimated ostof $3,O0OOO0, ormore than $1,000
per patient; while this State three arc in process
Of building the estimates Of tie cost of which vary
only between s 600 and $4,000 for each patient.
So much for the construction account; now for
tho cost Of maintenance At the three state Lunatc
Asyiums In tins State, accommodating IL patients,
the average weekly cost of maintenance exceeds 70
for each patient. At three institutions Of the same
grade in Massachusetts it is less than 81. At the
Willard Asylum in this State it is little more than
80. A table given below shows that tho average
cost or maintenance in 1874 az the Uuca Asylum
was Sc -, and IT the Northampton Asylum in Mas
sachuset,s IL So it was So 10 week. Abroad,
DR.. Wilbar finds that the average cost Of main
tcnancc in the county asylums in England, fol- il
stance, which correspond 30 our State asyluUs, IS
less than 81 including clothing, and IN like asyMms
in Scotland aAd Ireland considerably less.
relative number Of insane patients employed in
manual labor in this country and abroad The belief
once held among American supeTinteudeAts ;hdt the
EMPLOYMENT Of patients was useful to Themselves as
well as 10 the State since it Gbatsd excitement and
aided recovery, has far gone out Of fashion thai
the only home statistics which Dr. Wilbur quotes
are those OF the mems department Of the Utica
Asylum, which show that the average Of male labor
was less than IS per cent Of the cntiCc number Of
male inmates. Dr. wilbur found in the - a-ylums
which be visited the average percentage Of patients
employed to be &c per cent lie found also, That III
20 English county asylum,, containing 10000
patients, the percentage employed was over % per
cent and in II Scotch asylums OF the same grade,
containing Gil patients, the percentage employed
was more than g. per cent. Some O. Tie most inter-
sstng portions Of his report are those in which Le
describes ia detail the improvement in the mental
and physical condition Of the patients brought about
by their steady employment, and the greater free
dom which it was possible TO allow Them and as
consequence the marked disuse Of restraining APP
9aratus Of al kinds few extracts from the report
arc given below:
To ono it.iiag with American asylum, Or hosptals
.! 70 a. u. l. ..ac some features ia iBt manage
me- .i G 81 a,s 'Lt' e. j. .'S m iyr9-hed he
J, tou-.. ,aa a,5,uce O; excitement among the } r.
,is AMI tc seldom recourse Eaa 10 eeiuSon or eb5
,'tA gu ma, No. ,. ci fod T,r1,.tor.t,; inc rrac-
Tee OF assembling the patents IN LARGE dnhg-Ialis iOr
To- T., enc ~ ,S 1,,Gs and as nurses IN con
va'ns"cit words: the .JnOmy % ILanas Meht' seen
both iL tic construction ana cur eut expense "t,ou
Julie. l.l..-.D ness 'i ihr cam gnu titvli
csp6f.a ana records OF tho soy,. oioers and hna -
tie thO.1u lL, and efficiency OF tle gov -
tyVclou Though inc boards OF IuL@cy % iAe dte hI~
Ia coutrrst between American and British institutions,
with Respect to thc cost "t caH'i't. HL vl t .t-
Toms and tic cost - Waintn-uoe or te l.ttt; l+ 10
marEaale IN Ij uIauc A'tpItt lH i.'l 81 ',''
sgnis:aia com, 100 ~, iJedHdcI 10 Uae8
state cuHCIryl. These institutions coIIc.ionu WIN
siIss oil as,lums In tic United oiatos Ike
EloOminpGse, tie Retreat at HIlo.u' SoA55y
th9 Mclean A1yiq1 nm at t,so,%5ns 4, in TO
o~se CT EctIem Hospital, IN Wbirh case C,i
the patient. are supported gia.H.2,eJ -' mn
Vort and in thcu general SCOPE c'1e-
spond with our STATE aNmIns, tne tfy ~
tbso N M similar asyuus iu SrOtiguduud re and, con-
sdpraAy less H. comparing the cost o. HdntchehG' ~
tic British nsitutohs WIN Nose o. e SIM s. 90 i, -
th9 Uni..d States several l3t.5 ".c 70 ~. 80
The saar.es officers are about the same ia enc .e,
Tho waC,s Of attendants and .arV4nis are neSf &
finlr riClrs of provisions cost much les H America
io5Fns at the bills OF British asyluns thai beet
costs - cents per pound mutton - 'Sbt' -
cents OF course flour and gram are A7Ao4 1,L IS
about the same One source or expense IN AiheI'! ~
ums Is the supposed necessity Tor me Iec e OF 5thu
gn.s and ire ezra sct required. In an institution con
tanning 600 Ia.icuis, where pains A3G bl. GtN oI,
80 a. number oil extra m as 10 is stated t.at over
English aud Scotch asyluinS whose IeIot gre & "a I
tlc ratio attendants 70 Patterns u one Gt'eHu"' ~ "a
The proportion OF insane in county poorhouses Is
somewhat less Britain than III the United Sts
II tho great p onuGI4nco 81 'VVi ~ ir he sid the
country were thch INTO ac.Da..', ~ "i'- . 80, ,,,,.h
proportion Of insane in county 20 T-I"t '- d. We M
less. Take, for example otiIAu, %iC ia loa,lr1
population, is not unlike tho sue o. s1"- ~ n 4t
out tio cities OF NcgIork and BioohltH me peCe.n
age Of Insane in parOehal asyIu4s ana IN te lGn4'c
wards OF pCOrlorScs ia Scotland ~ per etAi. IL w
et.fc Of Scv-Y 90 per cent. The provision Hdue