Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-02
THE CARE OF TIE INSANE.

better.
TIE CARE OF TIE INSANE.
We have received very interestin!
little pamphlet by DR.. Beard, on the asy
lums Of Europe. 1t is the result of re
cent visit to about dozen of the most i'm
portant of these institutions, and it con
tains some exceedingly valuable sugges
tions and hints. The Doctor found tina
the asylums of England were much thu
best in Europe, and consequently in thu
world, and that the Scotch asylums are thu
best in the United Kingdom. He notes
further that in the best asylums of Eu
rope mechanical restraint is reduced to ;
Every small percentage, and instead of re
"straint labor is employed as therapeutic
"agent. He says that restraint is almost
entirely discarded in the English and con
tinental asylums, and that for the most
part the patients are not even locked IL
the buildings. And he says "Among
the best alienists of Europe, those vino
have done and are doing the most to ad,
vance our ideas relating to insanity,
theoretically and practically, in and out
"of asylums. the belief that restraint
should be reduced to minimum is as
universal as the belief in the preventive
power of vaccination.
The tendency Of modern treatment OF
insane patients is TO assimilate it to that
OF children. "The insane are children,
diseases of the brain practically depriv-
ling them of the advantages which come
from education and maturity, taking
away their manhood, and carrying them
"back to childhood; it is therefore wise
g. to treat them like children. They are
mot, as a rule, to be chained, or cribbed,
or camisoled, or locked in dark closets,
"or locked up at all, necessarily, but, like
" children, allowed to come and 60 as they
"please and as we please; all the time
watched and guarded, lest they wander
away or run away, or do injury to them
SELVES or to society" It will be observed
that the modern treatment is almost as
far in advance of that of Pinel and
Connolly as the latter was in advance of
the old system. At present the practice
is to use scarcely any restraint, and to in
duee the patients to work. The success
achieved in this latter particular is indeed
very surprising, for it has been commonly
supposed that in brain disease there was
not concentration and steadiness enough to
render this practicable.
DIR. Beard says however, "the extent to
(which labor is employed seems incredible,
4" and cross examinations were constantly
needed in order to convince me that not
d" only washing, cooking, cleaning, and the
Immense farm work on the grounds,
"but also various trades, were carried on
"by the inmates, the patients of the asy-
lums. Again and again 1 asked how
they succeeded in making the lunatics
"work. The average reply was that in
% general there was no serious difficulty
that by proper management they could
''be trained to work and keep at work,
" and could do as much as, and in some
cases very much more, than persons in
"health. In one asylum he found 254
patients out of total OF 347 proftably en-
ployed In another institution, out OF
54l patients, only Is men and IS women
were incapacitated for employment OF any
kind. These facts may well be pondered
by the managers of our asylums, where we
believe employment OF the lunatics has
thus far been scarcely if at all attempted
1t is very evident that wherever this sys-
TEN is feasible it must render the control
of the patients far easier and at the same
time make their existence more cheerful.
There is also distinct sanitary benefit in
steady work, of which alienists take due adj
vantage.
The higher class of European asylums are
now scarcely distinguishable as such. DR.,
Beard says of Saughton Hall institution,
which is near Edinburgh, =" found it diff,
"cult to believe the gentleman who
showed me over the place, when he
" said it was an insane asylum. In exter.
"nal appearance, in internal arrangements,
.'in the attendants, in the manners OF the
q inmates, in the furniture and arrange.
"ment OF the rooms, there was nothing
that suggested an asylum or hospital
cit was more like gentlemans delight
" full country residence, with open win.
dows and doors, and ample and at.
tractive grounds, beautifed In the English
"style with varieties of shrubbery and
Z" flowers. said to myself, This is the
poetry OF insanity; one might be willing
to become insane if he were treated
"here." Certainly this is wonderful