Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-11-30
IA MIND DISEASED.

1875, to Sept. 80, 1877, has Deeh fecSlsou
The report of DR.. Robt. E. Baldwin, thf
physician and superintendent, shows thai
there were in the asylum in that time u;
men and 218 womeN9 but there were only
361 Of both sexes there September 30th last
Duling this time 81 men and IL women
were discharged as recovered; men ano
Z women were let out as improved, and
man and 2 women as not improved. There
died SO men and IL women, and one mar
escaped.
WHERE TEEY CAME FROM.
Augusta, as usual, handsomely held bel
own IN the matter of insanity, being credl
ted with 10 patients, nearly twice as many
as were admitted from any other county IN
the State, and as many as Rockingham
Rockbridge, Botetourt. Page, Shenandoah
and all the Valley counties put together.
with Richmond city thrown in. The whole
number of admissions into the asylum
since it's opening in 1928 has been 2.751, OF
which Augusta county alone furnished 22s
about one-tenth, Next to Augusta IN
contributing in the past two years, comes
Campbell with Z patients. Fauquler with
s, Bedford, 5; Rockingham, 4; Wythe, 6,
and then they rarely get above one OF two.
WHY THEY CAME.
Of those committed in the past two years
the supposed causes are numerous. Pecu-
niary trouble brought % men and Is Wo-
men-the difference arising from the fact
that the men have to pay the bills; domes-
tic trouble brought II men and II women;
fright brought one of either sex; lntem-
perance brought 20 men; sheer laziness,
CONSIDERABLY called by the superintendent
ssindolent habits.' brought one man and
two women; disappointed love brougnI
one man and 2women-the boys helc thelr
own nobly; religious excitement brought .
men and women; seduction brought Two
women: over-taXed energies brought .
men and Women-a difference of which
those women who are complaining OF ''be-
ing worked to death" would do well to
make note; one lady came because she
had lost the beautiful world through blind
ness. and six men and two women were
made insane by the results OF the war. The
list puts down Z men and 2 women as
hereditary cases, and II men and II Wo-
men as losing their minds by domestic
trouble.
HOW LONG.
There was one man and one woman
whose insanity began at less than five years
of age two of either sex who were insane
before they were ten years Of age, 10 who
were insane before they were Is years old,
and As who had lost their minds before they
were twenty years old and 102 who Went
deranged when they were between 30 and
40 years of age. After that age the figures
11,o Of tu lpccpnC
WHAT THEY EAT.
In one year they consume $7.9S4 worth
of fresh meats, 1884 worth OF flour
$3.50 worth Of pork, s., 1852 worth OF but.
ter, So, 343 worth of coffee, 81, 1865 worth OF
sugar. 1921 worth of corn, 1856 worth of
vegetables, 1865 worth of poultry and eggs,
:eS615 worth of molasses, $614 worth OF tea,
and other fxins in the way Of provisions
making total on that account Of S25, $50.
tClothing cost 81, 1893, furniture $2,4l9, fuel
.$4, 4IO, medical supplies 1882. The whole
of the Asylum for 1855 was
1854. All and for '76-7 s57 1903. In the year
o75-6 $40, 576 was received from pay patti
ents and in '76-7 the amount was $40, 1916.
THE NEW BUILDING.
The new addition will be ready for oc-
r., 1paticn by next April. It has been built
at cost of 1865 by Lushbaugh q Bro.
and has basement and three stories. Il
will hive wards for IS patients, besides
rooms or household offices. The ventlla
tion is m sde by exhaustion from the two
towers an The roof. The architect is Mr.
]. G. Nelson of Baltimore, who has super
the construction OF the building
NEEDED Law.
DIR. Baldwin suggests that the law al
lowing mileage to officers brin sg,IHg patients
should be repealed and ol.sA passed paying
their actual expenses, giving case 10
point where sheriff and one guard brlng,
ing patient from Winchester drew $685.
when their expenses were only S2l.
NO SUICIDE.
He says: During the year 1876 We bad
no case of suicide in our household. TWo
patients were caught in the attempt and
their lives we've saved. The case reported
in the table occurred at the patients home
at the expiration of his months furlough.
He had made. as far as we could Judge. a
good recovery. and as he had never SHOWN
the slightest propensity OF this kind dur
ing the ten months he was under my OBJ
servation, such result could not have been
ANTICIPATED. During the year just closed
there has been no blot upon our escuteheon
in this respect. We have had no suicide
to record, no patient OF attendant has been
fatally I'M ured, and no pestilence has inva,
ded our household. The suicidal proclivi
ty was confined, during the year 1876
principally to the male sex, but this yeal
it has shifted in a measure to the female
We have had prepared for them, and also
for patients that could not be kept in bed
a number of cribs, neatly made Of stained
pine, the lids and sides being covered witt
meshes of woven curtain cord or with VIC
ven wire. They form neat and ATTRACTIVE
articles of furniture, and there is nothing
oppressive OF lepulSive in them. They ar
the least Objectionable mode of restrain
shat [ have seen.
PERSONAL.
The Steward, Mr.. S. A. Hoshour, IN ad
sdition to his other duties, has superinten
.ded the making Of the brick for the new
building, and their delivery to the contrac
tors. He has, by his foresight and gooi
management, kept us bountifully supplied
with the very best provisions that thl
market affords, purchased for cash at tn
most reasonable rates. Being pre-eminent
" a practical man, and having the inter
est of the Asylum always at heart, his ser
vices during the past year and his sugges
tions from time to time have been especi
ally valuable and fully appreciated. fee
also that our thanks are due to our engi
neer. Mr.. M. Dineen, for his skilful man
agemept and supervision Of the inaportan
work that belongs to bis department.. An
to our other employees we are indebted TO
the faithful performance Of their duties.
Thanks are tended to Misses Sallie an
Bessie Hartman, Miss Sarah Hotchkiss
Miss M. B. Crawford, Miss Mary Dinner
Miss Amelia Brownold, and Miss Mar
Callaghan, of Staunton; to Miss Nelli
Lawrence, of Petersburg, and Miss Nelli
Burr, of Richmond. and to Messrs, l
Drake, W. B. McChesney, G. M. White
VIM. McGuffin, Samuel Woodward, Lyn
Richardson, and Ashby Hoshour, for The
atrical entertainments for the benefit {
the patients.
THE MANAGEMENT.
DIR. A. NJ. Fauntleroy, President of th
Board of Directors, in his annual COMMIT
1aicatiOn to the Governor Saws the affair