The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-01-13
acknowledgement
The West virginia Hospital for
the Insane

during the year was 1874, aud the number
discharged 70. OF those discharged 80
were cured,34 died and 10 we're improved.
When We note the fact that 7O6 patients
have been admitted into the hospital
since it was opened Is years ago, and
read that one half Of these are still on
hand, and remember tile number Of
deaths that have occurred in that time,
We can zee how small is the per cent that
have been cured. The Superintendent
states that Of the patients now in tue
asylum 80 per cent are incurables. lie |
contends that this lamcntable status re.
suits from the delay in receiving proper
treatment, his theory being that
insanity is just as durable in liz incipient
stages az fever, Without lisparSgemenL
to DR.. Camden, the Superintendent, we
may say that his theory does not appear
to be sustained by modern statistics. 1t
is the Old Virginia theory, that obtained
in the days Of DIR. Gait, the superintend.
ent at Williamsburg, who at one time
claimed that one hundred per etM Of recent
cases could be cured. The conclusions
Of DR.. Gait were based apparently on
very inadequate data, lie received 13
cases OF "recept inaanity"a at his hospital
between July, 1S4l, and July, 1912. In
January, lSl5, II Of these had recovered
and had died. al We deduct this case
from those under treatment said Dr..
Gait, "the recoveries will amount to 100
per cent" N1s
The theory oil recovery in "rccent
cases" was quite common a generation
ago-more so than now. Dr. Bell, a
specialist Of high standing in the treat
ment Of The insane, said in 1910 that "all
Gases ot insanity certainly recent, that is,
whose origin does not, either directly or
indirectly, run back more than Il year,
will recover under fair trial. This is
the general law the occasional instances
to the contrary are exceptions It lis
recorded, however, that Dr.. Bell, at n
later period in his life, discovered that
this was fSllucy. ....
We judge that il is very difficult to lell
when patient il really cured Of insanity.
We have read in the history of usylums
Of one patient who recovered" lorly.six
times, and finally died insane. There Is
no reason 10 doubt that the per cent Of
recoveries were larger many years ago
than now. Such, at least, is said TO be the
experience OF the New England asylums.
One alleged reason for this change is that
the hospitals have outgrowu the Super
intendentI. In former days Superin-
;endents had seldom more than three
hundred patients under treatment, and
generally not more than $50 or 200.
Now days an average hospital contains,
% at Weston, 40O and from 500 to ZOO is
not an unusual number. Such an aggre.
gate of insanity in one mass, under one
Superintendent, does not give him the
hest chance to treat the disease. Hence
it seems to be now the growing opinion
that more cures can he effected in small
hospitals than in large ones. II is even
said that in new hospital the rrCoverics
there are almost always more
than in an old one, and for
several reasons, An asylum, like a
hotel, gets regular set Of patrons, who
return 10 ii again and again. It also &C.
cumulates chronic insanity until, in
many cases, nine-tenths OF its inmates
are practically incurable. What chance
for many recoveries can there he under
such circumstances. Ithas been suggest.
ed that there should betwo- hospitals for
the insane in States where the number is
sufficiently large, as tits, We regret to say,
III luUSt VI tICulI OHc luE lle ClIuIlE lh-
sane and the other for recent cases.
There are one or two other features Of
the report that might be discussed with
advantage did time and space permit.
One Of those il the occupations Of the
patients previous 10 their insanity, and
another is the causes that have produced
insanity. We find that out Of the total
number (796) admitted into the Weston
Asylum since its opening, l62 have been
farmers, or about 20 per cent. This
would look as il farming did not conduce
to healthy mentality, hut, OF course, we
muat remember that there are in West
Virginia about 10000 farmers. II
We knew how many Of the patients now
in the hospital had been fsrmers we
could get at the proportion. Of insane in
that class. The report is defective in
emitting such information. Estimating
however our present aggregate popula,
ton to be 100000, We have iour,ftths ol
ono insane person TO every thousand in
habitants. The proportion Of insane per
sons throughout the United is to ever,
1881 sane, So that West Virginia come
under the average. ~
In looking over tho causes that have
produced insanity among the patients
Seare surprised at thenumber who have
lo't their reason from injuries to The
head The proportion is really very
large. We regret that the Superintendent
has not designated in summary on one
ol his pages the number Of persons rem
dered insane by any onN cause, so tha
the reader could at once sce the operat
Ing causes OF insanity without being con
fused by long search over several page.
OF statistics. The comparatively fe v
number OF persons at Weston who hay,
gone snsane on the subject OF religion i,
amatter ot~nrprise when We consider al
kaN