Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1878-05-24
OF THE TREATMENT OF
THE INSANE.

~: INST Doctors Langdon and Clark. Persons
Who seek, as these gentlemen sought, the serl-
rvs responsibility of taking charge and care of
The promiscuous lunatics of a whole State are
.iugularly fortunate if they succeed in escap-
ING lust such assaults as this to which they
have been subjected. We are strongly moved
- give them the benefit of the doubt. We do
no. believe in the system of farming out our
,-a2y people and putting them 30 far away
that we cannot watch in their behalf; but We
arI not ready to credit any charges of dellber-
a-c cruelty or malpractice on the part OF these
contractors. The insane, almost always, at
some period of their dreadful malady develop
simulated sanity which is the very subtilty
.of cunning. 1t has always been phenomena
ii lunacy that it has had times OF enlistlng
enough of sympathy in it's behalf to excite
the commisseration if not the indignation of
the community in behalf of certain inmates of
,.svlums for the treatment of the mad. In
the current number of Lippincott IS a very in
tcrcsting sketch of Partisan maniaCs and mad
houses. Following description of some of
Ahc old abuses to which the insane were sub
rect and an outline OF tho reforms instituted
nv Doctor Philippe Pinel, we have these sub
ioiued instances illustrative cf the point under
discussion: "Nor were Pinels efforts wholly
without danger, even in his own day. One
Of his patients having become singularly quiet
and intelligent, the Revolutionary authorities
n.erfored, and in spite of the physician s
warn,ng representations insisted upon setting
iu.a tree as "a victim of the Vaccinations of
,lc.potism" Hardly had he crossed the TIRES
hJ,d than excited by the tumult in the street, !
the jdoa Of freedom and the uproarious con- |
duct of his hhcrators no snatckcd a sabre |
form one Of the soldiers sent to escort him |
iorln the prison, and succeeded in killing |
tire. of the bystandors before he could be |
sei.- and secured. similar accident,
thol Il less tragic in its consequences, recently |
,.,, place in one of the large public asylums
%, P.rs. Ono Of the patients was SO quiet,
S., ...atlo, so thoroughly wcll-behayed, that he
va. p-rmitted to enjoy a comparative degree
81 free dom, aud was accustomed to wander at
viii ,.oout the grounds and the public rooms
II ths establishment, and came very often to
visit no director in his apartment. One day
a lar mirror placed above the mantle-shelf
in tn. iircctors private draw ing room fell sud
dcrly hut fortunately without injuring any
u;,r On investigation it proved that the
@enIr maniac in question had artfully de
tichej it from its fasteninGs, and so supported
IT un he shelf that il would remain in its
p'a" i'll slightly Jared or shaken And
yct that there are instances Of the hideous
cri.a" If purposely continuing sane men and
women within the walls and dungeons Of mad
house, Is not to be questioned And it s here
that tho more serious phase Of this contro- !
vcr~y Is to be found SO nice question can {
not lee approached with beneficial results save {
in til, calmest and most impartial temper.
Patience, wary observation and full deter
minaton to do justice to all concerned, these
are the. essentials demanded of the persons {
Interested with the examination Of this most
important case.
When the question was mooted, in the last
Legislature, of erecting and maintaining a 7
State Lunatic Asylum within our own Dor y
dcrs, Inc proposition, unfortunately unsus- h
tanned Ivy any thorough acquaintance with the L
subjcc, of insane hospitals and their construc- /
ton Wis met; almost instantly, by the argu-
meuts needed to show the superior wisdom of
the farming system. Unfortunately for their
present attitude of defendants, these contrac-
tors, Langdon q Clark, were strenuously rep
resented by one of the firm, who was con
stantly on the ground exercising the persua-
siye functions of a lobbyist.
We hope to see some steps taken, early in
the session of the next Legislature, looking to
the erection and maintenance of Lunatic h
Asylum Of our own. This great desideratum el
may be- accomplished if there shall be found al
among the members some man who has made II
he question the subject of thorough study: ~
or the old job of securing the farming of the
insane ill surely be ready to present itself
n all its most seductive shapes. OF course, II
.lso, there will be the other jobs, ready to as
aunch themselves and be launched The
cling to the State at three or four prices of I"
his "mansion" or tina farm; the utilizing of ~
ONE worthless old wall or abortve and use te
ess lumber pile, and SO on But even with uI
hcso surroundings, the very important, ave, ia
ssantlal proposition of the States ownership
nd conduct of lunatic asylum, within its