Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-12-06

your attention to one case which is the
more gratifying from its having been for
a long time apparently hopeless. The pa
tient was a female, who, at the time of her
adm ssiOn in November of 1874. was suf-
fering WITH the most profound melancholy
Although person Of unusually large
stature, she weighed only 101 pounds after
| living for five mouths on diet Of milk,
| eggs. whlskey and cod-liver oil. admins
| tered through nasal tube, and. averaging
most of the time one dozen eggs, a quart
of milk and four ounces of whlskey daily.
Her stomach then failed, and she abstain
ed from food for two days, when she vol
| unfairly commenced milk diet which she
continued for seven months, frequently
taking as much as two and a half gallons
| daily. During this period she gained
sixJy-one pounds, and ultimately recover
ed at home while on furlOugh of two
months
THE HORRORS OF INSANE LIFE OUT OF
THE ASYLUM.
Speaking of the recent admissions, where
the patients have been kept in jails or pri-
vate houses, DR.. Baldwin says:
Sin most cases they appeared to have
been we'll cared for, but in some instances
we had evidences of the most outrageous
neglect and abuse. One woman had been
kept in bed for more than year. Another
was confined by her husband in small en-
closure built inside of his log cabin, and
her food was given to her through the
cilnks Of the logs. You may imagine her
condition when brought to US. She had
nearly lost the use of her limbs, but her
Improvement was such that when the
sheriff made his second trip here and
visited her in our new building, he did not
recognize her. Another, an epileptic and
a widow with five children, was kept with
out allowance at the home of her mother,
who was also widow. to the abs olute de-
struction of their domestic happiness;
while the mother said that she would suf-
fer death before her daughter should go
to jail. She was dangerous to herself and
others, had attempted to kill her children
and her neck bad upon it fearful scar
from a wound inflicted by her own hand.
Her face and bady were also disfiguled by
having frequently fallen into the fire dur
ing her seizures. She has been under
treatment fer four months. has had no
epileptic attack during that time, and is
now cheerful and useful patient in her
ward.
BABIES IN THE ASYLUM.
"While speaking of home life in the
Asylum, l may add that among our arrl-
walls there have beer two babies In the
household. The first, little girl, was at
once claimed and taken away by her faith
er, being his first and only child. But the
father of the other, being informed of the
birth of his fourth. daughter, at once
ceased all correspondence with us, and to
this date has not been heard of for three
months"
ESCAPED PATIENTS.
"There have been seven escapes during
the year. Five of these were returned,
and two of whom nothing was heard are
included among the discharged under the
head Of eloped. In the case Of the first
elopement two patients, one of them a
very powerful man, combined and over
powered their attendant, and thus made
their escape by force. One was returned
to the Asylum Immediately, but the other
was so quiet on reaching home, after
walk of eighty miles, that his friends re-
fused to surrender him. He had been no.
toriously the most violent aud determined
patient perhaps, that has ever been in the
Asylum. and his escape by force and his
continued absence without the permission
Of the proper authorities produced a very
demorallZing effect. [ can see but one
remedy, which is to enforce the penalty
provided by law against an officer who re-
fuses TO obey a warrant to arrest an es-
capped lunatic. For success in the future
in the management of our male depart
ment depends upon the prompt return of |
every patient who escapes