Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-11-15

| itct. hiio"tnB l,utU le6t oil air space II
the man (ior the attendants must have all
as well as the patients), then it follow!
that there Is room in the institution, ir.
cluding the main building and the Marsh
building. for only 39l people Yet 500 are
made to live in what is the minimum space
for 29l
The air space allowed to each person is
on an average, SO cubic feet, or q little
more than half the minimum allowance. Ol
this 29l, l3i cubic feet o. ar space, lei, ,72C
are supposed to be changed every hour. We
may therefore say that there is enough ven
tilated space for. say. i22 people. There
are, however, l69,4l feet Of air space in
which the air Is not changed or in other
words there is room enough for l69 more in
mates, II they could have ventilation. But
they have none.
The air space ard the air supply are
enough at the minimum standard for only
l49 inmates, including nurses and patients,
or IL nurses and 1877 patients. We waive
all consideration of the fact that the venti-
! lating apparatus at present in the ASYLUM
| does not work well, fact sworn to by Dr.
Draper and admitted by the trustees in the
emphatic manner implied by their having
determined 10 procure fan driven by steam
to iorca the unwilling air into the rooms in
which ventila:lng shafts open. Admitting
that the 80 called ventilated space Is really
ventilated. L. G changed once an hour.
night and day, still We are met by the
ghastIy iact that 5O2 men are, in a Christian
country, Illuminated by the lights of science
and experience. huddled together to live for
| years, perchance for life, into the space
barely sufficient for li9
This is not all. These Estimates are based
| on total spaces. The rooms which the in
mates live in. as will be seen on looking at
| the pans, are mostly small rOOma intended
let US hope, each for one person, and are 3ji
/ IN number. (Ol these, are attcs, contain
ing, one 1904 cubic feet and Is inmates
w0men-the otter with ! 7,339 cubic feet and
containing II inmates men-23 doubl,
rooms containing each from one to four
men These rooms vary Excluding the
attlc' Cr dormitOries Us they are called, and
the double rooms) 10 size, ircm about 500
to 500 ieet. Some inmates have 400 Gu bic
feet, some 500, some 200. some 3O! As
suning that there are leo rooms in which
there are two beds. and this is very near the
amount, and that in those rooms 700 feet is
the average cubic space, it fellows that 200
men live each IL $50 ittt
q" The ventilation of the asy lum is i, i.ctiye,
and there are i.eRrly 100 rooms that have
hardly ray OF sunshine entering them.
TIE temperature OF the rooms j. uneaual
and Insufficient.
Il suppose it will not be questioned that
20 degrees CT heat (Fahrenheit) is the
proper MEASURE tor the old or feeble.
These embrace pretty much all the patients
in the asylum. The major part OF the rooms
are "eold rooms in which, nccording to the
Doctor : Draper testimony, the air stands
IN cold nigh hts, he thinks, at so degrees. That
Is not warm enough"
The summing up OF DR.. Goldsmith is that
the Asylum has 4 total space ii. for only 29l
inmates. Ii has ventilation enough for
only li9. 1t could be altered at great cost
50 as to be ample for $50. Dr.. g. appends
tables showing the names, age, character of
mental malady, habits, etc, of the inmates.
with the amount Of space in each room
These give 1879 ventilated btds" in tho
Asylum and 1903 .'unventllsted beds - OF
the patents, 307 pay $500 per week, 50 pay
$3.50, "a pay SlOO, Is pay So. aud pay
500 per week.
Da. FAssETr REPORT.
Doctor Fassett agrees with Doctor Gold
smith that the Asylum is greatly over crowd
ed. With capacity ,according to is superin-
tendent, ior only 315 pitien;s it frequently
has upwards OF 500. A; present it has 47O.
Of whom l6i are private patients Only
thirty-one OF these are residents Of this
State. Nest of the rooms arc bat $40 feet
and about S feet high. ami many OF these are
occupied by two pltisntS eIch. rns over
crowding prevents the retirement na5dful
for the aged. sick ami feeble. |. affords no
infrmaIy or suite Of rOou.s where tls dan-
gerous!y sick can be cared for by friends.
The food is abundant and good. The in
stitution Is kept very cleia. rao Inmates
are decentIy clothed and elan. GoJd order
prevail-, NJ harsh treatment Is permitted,
ii known by those in c1trse. Dr. Fassctt
says:
The medical thters sre superintendent
and two assistants. DR. Draper. the present
superintendent, Is all educated. intelligent
man. IN the prime Ul lie, with apparent
health and strength. lie had many years
experience in general practice and IN the
care of the insane is u man OF good iulg-
ment, klud and humane in disposition. lie
is evidently dsvDt, L. hi- profession, zsal-
Gus and earnest
"Blt be il loaded with cares The entire
institution, including the whels property.
its repairs, Improvements, and tinlrcss. are
his care. lie employs attendants, nurses,
and all the help 0! tue cstabiIshuent. lie
corresponds with the trIsnI> OF the patients,
and with the general public, in all that re
lates to the institution and it7 interests.
lie il responsible tor it, reports lie receives
visitor, professional AMI uthsrW lse, and il !
interrupt d in "A thousand ways. " hen all
this IL done, ana much more, what time has |
he 10 which to make u daily plrIOnII study OF |
each iniiyItua! Insane pat.eut' WHAT time |
u note the progress. TIE chans-I, the /
Zee, liar,les, Of each case. t. gain The conf |
dtuca Of TIE saywgri Dird ard lead 1t from |
delusiOnS, - SUPP ly Just thJ~1 iLilenrrs that |
correct instead Il ttyti,p The tendency /
to chronIc and inclrtnlr miuiL? rnes1 du- |
ties must inevitably - dJn' iaOs,!y by tho /
medical assistants, ur not ipnc At s.l EIch /
one tcstiiies that lie has Charge oi one side /
OF this large ho-pii.'. with the aii Of DR.. |
Draper. when necdiGg alyca Each has |
the care of about $50 patlent-.'
Neither Of these assistants cams with any .
previous experience. Or had made sny Spe-
cial strty of the subject Of insanity. ono of /
them was fresh from tho m,i,e,l ,cloIl. .
The attendants nunh,r ons t. every |
eis hteon patients. whereas one - ten Is
she smallest number c.a-iisrsI Al.Ow
able. and in the b,1t A'yii.n- naj t. oish;
for pauper pitient+ AMI una r' tiree Tor
private patients = ta' E4l.. Ia hck OF
sufficient attendant At B.Attishir, c,npels
an unnecessary amlun, of r--'-.la.. For
the paticltS that 40 So hi-i in the
Marsh builiins-mjs.!y Or - H., we be-
lieye. State paupers--.:yS -. F., "the
means for amusement Of diversion are few.
Their out of door privileges ar1 in the
cheerless airing courts. mostly. Tn5 airing
court on the female side OF the inStltGtion,
is comfortable in size, yet not large while
the one at the Marsh building and that on
the north side Of the west wing OF the main
building, which is sOmetlmo- used a. an air
ing court, are mere pens, with bare grDInd4 !
and bare walls. shut out from all outside,
secluded and d.eary. This seems to u the
mos: inexcusabie ni any of the faults Of the
DR. fas>ett, in fine. reaches tho m,lIn
choy conclusion thst through all these
many yeir5 the Asylum has existed t. the
injury Of the health and an obs,arle 10 the
OF the inmates" lie sums up his
cOnclu, lions 10 the suggestions that the
State has 700 insane persons, most of whom
require hospital care, ami that the number
IS increasing yearly thai the A~ylum can
properly accommodate not over 375 patients
hat it lacks changes IN sewerage, yentI.a-
ion. and facilities for the diversion and
employment of patient that more than 50
week should be allowed for the board and
are OF patients; that State supervision
should extend over all insane asy ylums with
N the State, with authority t, examine IN
,iie the asylum nil ccmpltints from pa