Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-10-11
LEAVING net yaIuo Of farm products 8 loo 90


| Building account.................. 24,224 20
| Interest on debt...........,........ ., 100 90
Taxes and insurance ,........... G,19O &c
Whole amount.,,.......... S1S7, 03G lG
RECEIPTS
From board of patients and in
surnnce..... Observation-Disclosures. SlS72G 90
Balance on hnnd............. S22j so
This gives an average per capita of 1881
per week
You will see by these figures that the Asy-
lum is a loser of ST cents per week on all her
pauper patients This should be arranged so
as to make the Asylum even. 1t is asking too
much TO ask her to take care of our patients
Mt less than cost and then find fault because
the halls are crowded, for the books must bal
ancc or the Asylum would soon be extinct
| aud the legacy which Mrs. Marsh left, in
bankruptcy.
| The Asylum has kindly asked for a number
of years to have the price Of board raised to
meet the current expenses but she has al
| ways been turned away empty .hauded. This
cannot exist much longer. Either the State
must build nm Asylum of her own and take
her patients away, or she must pay for having
! them taken care Of
STATE AsYLU.L
In many respects it would BE- better if the
State had an Asylum. Then the people could
manage it TO suit themselves, but it would be
far more expensive than the present accom-
| modatious at Brattleboro. The probable cost
| of building an Asylum would not be less than
one thousand dollars per patient. | have
found, by careful inquiry. that there are one
hundred and eighty insane people scattered
| about the State. There are one hundred and
| twenty-seyen in the Asylum, supported en-
tirely by the State; one hundred and sixty
| eight are supported by towns aided by the
| State. This makes the number Of insane in
the State, four hundred and sevonty-fvc
| Figuring from this basis. it would cost Si7j.-
| 900 to build an Asylum to accommodate the
! insane Of the State This would simply be
| money invested. Then come to reckon run
| ming expenses above that il would make n
| vtry costly institution. Looking from these
| figures, it hardly seems Us though we were
| prepared 10 build. when, with so light an *
| pense, We can get our patients cared for at
} Brattleboru. and rs well cared for as they
! would be in a State Asylum. Still, the eX-
| pense is not the whole poiut-good care is
what these patients must have regardless of
| cost
/ MANAGEMENT or The ASYLUM
4 great deal has been said of late in regard
Il
| great many the Asylum has been condemned.
and, strange to say, those who talk the most
and the loudest are those who never visited
| it. and, in fact, never even SAW the outside.
| 1t is time this talk and SANDER stopped. Let
US either shake hands with the Asylum and
| be friends. or sever our connection with her
and have one of our own. The idea Of over
| hauling the Asylum every time the LegiSa-
| ture meets Just because some newspaper las
| III. 1
| expenditure Of money. Then when the COM
mitteo comes lack and reports, this same ed
itor will say just as We expected; they
were bought :" and am sure that these same
| editor never took pains to ascertain the truth
| of their statements, nor took time to visit the
Asylum. The doors are always open and the
house ready for company and 30 l invite all
who are interested to go and see for them
selves before they condemn it.
CONVICT INSANE.
There should be some means provided for
this class of patients, away from an Asylum.
| They contaminate every one they como in
contact with. They have by their voluntary
acts, forfeited their privileges in society, aud
as a consequence should have ward by
| themselves III the State prison. They can get
| all the treatment that their case demands
and it would relieve the Asylum Of a class of
| patients that cause a great deal of trouble
| This class are always OF n low, groveling ma
ture always urging the other patients to
| some mean game. urge this as an impor-
tant measure, and, us the prison is to be en-
| largcd, this ward can be made mt a very small
| expense to the State. We wish when we
send our friends to an asylum to place them
| i'll good medical hands, and at the same time
in good social company, that their minds may
be improved as we'll This cannot be done
~ hon tt-ftl
have seven of this class in the Asylum at
| present. Some of the States have already
adopted this plan, and all speak highly of its
working,
| DUTIEs OF THE COMMISSIONER.
| The duties of the commissioner should be
enlarged so that he can have an oversight
over all the insane in the State, whether con-
fined in an asylum, poor house, or retained
| 10y friends at home. am satisfied that the
insane, out of the asylum need the oversight
| of a commissioner more than those confined
| in 1t, and to give you some proof about the
| matter, | will give you some statistics which
have obtained. find by the circulars that
were sent to the different towns throughout
| the State, that there are scattered about in
the pOor-houses and private families, one
hundred and eighty insane persons. OF this
| number sixty are supported by towns, in the
| pun -iiphntAs VI hh bbdINtIh III private lulnl-
lies, and the remaining one hundred and
| twenty are looked after by friends. This look
ing after by friends in the majority of cases,
means letting them do rs they please, and 90
| whore they please. This is not kindness.
MS many are inclined to think, but IN injury.
They want looking after like child They
make no calculation for the morrow, and in
many cases. wander from place to place beg
| ging their living, perfect nuisance to the
moi ,.rla 4
| the women and children. This is the class
over whom the commissioner should have
control He should have authority to send
| them to an asylum, where they would be well
| provided for. This was what led Mrs. Marsh
| to endow an asylum. She said they were the
\ unfortunates that called for our assistance,
and despite the remonstrance of friends, she
cast in her mite for their protection. From
| that bequest many poor friendless traveller
has found friends and shelter. To do this,
| there must be q salary to pay for the work
and it should be high enough to pay for a
mans whole time. He should go from town
to town, and look up these patients, and
where they are not provided for, he should
have power to send them to an asylum.
STATISTICAL REVIEW.
The average number of patients for the past
| two years, ending August LIST, 1878, has been
| 472 Number of patients in the house Au-
| gust LIST, 1873, 459-22i males and 235 fe-
males. Number admitted, lG7-1OS males,
and 80 females. Number discharged, 1917
l24 males, and 70 females. OF the number
discharged, 80 recovered, making the per-
centage of recoveries 81 per cent. OF the IG7
admitted, 81 males and % females. making a
total of IS, had previously been in this or
some other asylum. The statistics of recov-
cries are always hard things to make up and
have correct, for the patient is liable to anoth-
err attack Mt any time. In order to have them
correct the patient should be watched during
the remainder of his life and in case he goes
back to the asylum again. he should not be
counted on as being cured.
| DEATHS.
There have been Ga deaths during the two
years-39 males and 25 females. The large