The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-01-02
PERSONAL OBI JEOES--HOW ~ rssEY
BEAR ON a CHEAT STaAIgITA-
BLK INSTITUTION.

The Galveston Nsra IS Just now il
the sensational business regar.iing pub
lie institutions at Austin. Its policl
is in the embryo state, however, an,
may never reach = proper aeeoRch
ment. A. present it attacks tlrougi
correspondents, real OF dctttioha, auo
the editorial solution may nor b,
reached until it puts q hraf in At Aas.
tin just 10 see how the matter "a ty pnr
out. Ils correspondents are pare cuilFIy
severe upon the management; vi The
Deaf and Dumb Institution, uRder Gca.
BlcCulloch, and upon the conduct al
the Lunaiic Asylum, under DR. Wal
lace. As to the first-narned institution
we arc unable to pass a proper opin-
ion. Gen. McCullOeh may he an-ex-
cellent superintendent, and, yet,
prior to appointment, he bad
no experience fitting him fol
the position he holds. In the other
case, whatever may have been the per
sonal or political causes leading to APP
pOintment, it cannot be truthfully
charged that the superintendent Of the
Lunatic Asylum is incompetent for the
duties imposed upon him. He is
widely regarded as a man of polished
education, and as physician he GER
tainly ranks high IN the opinion OI
members of his profession. BY refer
encc to the last official report regard
ing the conduct of the Lunatic Asylum
it may be inferred that the manage
ment of the institute is second to none
in the country, A comparison between
reports shows in certain New Eng
land asylum the following:
Number at beginning of year, $50 ad
mitted during year, ia; discharged,
t1S; discharged restored, 30; died, L.
Per cent. of restored to admission, 30
per cent. of restored to whole popula-
ton, 12; per cent. of deaths to whole
population, 81.
In an asylum in one of the Middle
States we find:
Number at beginning OF year, 3l1
admitted during year, 120; DISCHARGED
during year, 10S; discharged restored,
30; died during year, 81, Per cent. of
restored to admission, 26; per cent. of
restored to whole population, 10; per
cent. of deaths to whole population,
6.7.
Ina Southern asylum the showing is
Number at beginning of year, 264 /;
admitted during year, So; discharged
during year, 80; discharged restored,
13; died, Is. Per cent. of restored to
admissions, "a 8; of restored to whole
population, 40; of deaths to whole
population, 6.
An asylum in the West shows:
Number at beginning of year, 354
admitted during year, IA; discharged
during year, 11G; discharged restored,
40; died, %. Per cent. of restored to
admissions, 81. %; of restored to whole
population, 1911; of deaths to whole
population, 7.S.
The Texas State Lupatic Asylum has
been managed with this result:
Number at beginning of year, $50; (;
admitted during year, 142; discharged
during year, S5; discharged restored,
So; died, 10. Per cent. of restored to
admissions, 40S; of restored to whole
population, 235; Of deaths To whole
population, 3.12.
That there is field in Texas for a
much larger exercise of charity to luna
tics must be admitted. 1t is reasona-
bic to conjecture that at least one thou
sand demand attention, but the full
capacity of the State Asylum is at pres
ent being used. An additional bulld-
ing is now undergoing completion at q
cost of seven or eight thousand dol
lars, which will give accommodation
TO sixty more patients. A similar ju-
dicIous expenditure of twenty-five or
thirty thousand dollars would swell
the capacity of this institution to
between five and six hundred patients,
when complaints about unsuccessful
attempts to enter patients would prob
ably be at an end. 1t has been said
that States are seldom impoverished
by their charities, and Texas, when it
provides for portion of its insane,
should provide for all.
But an appeal to the public on such
provisions was not our object in this
article. 1t was simply to review a
matter of much interest to the public,
now calling forth criticism certainly of
alpersonal interested nature. OF late
years the capacity of the asylum has
been very much increased and the
buildings greatly improved in charac-
ter, especially conducive to the better
health of patients. Filthy cesspools
and privies have been done away with
and convenient arrangements substi-
tuted. Glazed earthen pipes at pres
ent conduct filth away from the build
ings and grounds, and the disgusting
exhibitions of offal and the presence of
noxlous smells, few years ago, even
in the public ways, are no longer
known. All such necessary and hu-
mane improvements have been made,
too. at small expense.
As to the expense of keeping pa
tients, the exhibit is highly satisfac-
tory. Though the number in our in
stitution IA ss->-ii>-- -sl~>-, iss ssfIITOSs any
other, yet the per capita expense is
less than in almost any other, and
where such expense is less the number
Of patients reaches sometimes to
thousand or more. The annual re-
port of the superintendent of the New
York City Lunatic Asylum contains
table Of the expenditures for the in
sane from thirty-six asylums. The
average is $2e6.s1 per capita per an
mum. In report of LAST year, the ex-
penditures per annum for each patient
in given Southern institution for ten
years runs from $s1s to $s57, the average
being about $3.50, with about the sane
number Of patients as in the Texas
In one Of the Middle
States with S1s patients the average