The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-03-01

REpoRT Of senate ceu,,rrrE.

Mr. PREsTDExT--Aou Committee on Human
and Benevolent Institutions have extends
heir investigations into the cosdition of Il
charitable institutions Of the State, AID have i
structed me to report as follows concerning Il
condition and prosperity Of the State ) syIu
for tie Insane, and the Institute for the Instrn
ton OF the Blind We have visited an
thoroughly investigated the above named inst
tutions. and the following conclusions are h
result Of our observations
In regard to the Asylum for the Insane, "
t feel compelled to award praise aud eonlm ndi
| ton to fjr z J. Mitchell aud his able statf {
/ a sistants and employees, for The neatness an
cleanliness and perfect discipline Of tae Iast
! tuition coRfided to their care Every depar
m Mt seems 70 work with he regularity and pr,
cision of clock work, and everything seems t
! be conducted with an eye single to tn
Welfare OF the patients rejecting credit upo
the State which has founded and maintain
this great and benefcent charity
But while every advantage possessed seem
70 be utilized 70 It's utmost extent, the fact tina
stares u IN the face that while much has beel
done for the care and main hence of TIE in
sane, the great State Of Mississippi stand
dereiies in the eyes of the world aud OF her owl
citizens, in making only partial provision 70
capacity of at least 500 patients IS iinpera ivel,
demanded 10 provide for the insane 81 tn,
State. There are now IN the Asylum for the In
sane bout IS pa tents more taan its eapae " o
conf rtable accommodation There are estl
mated to be not les than rs rotting in tbs
county jails throughout the State. and MT les
than $50 not IN jails, but under restraint n thei
homes, imperatively d handing treatment FOL
their malady, which treatment cam I be sue
C ssfully applied outside OF Asylum walls. The
crowded condition of the wards calls attention
to the unusual percentage OF mortality o.
the past twelve months. and adds but
another In str4Tion u tue well eeognszad fact
that it is impossible to csow1 human being
INTO limited AM sufficient space without
deteriora ion of their general health, and sow.
ing the seeds OF disease which Will shor en- life
snd sap the very foundations OF vitality. We
append Just here as aper0priate TO the sub
ject an extrae fr m the report of tue Superin-
tendent of the Asylum
During the present year there has been with
US a q eat amount sickness, and regf 10
say that our death rate has been large, exec ID
ing tina of any year since | took ohaTg We
attribute the great fatality of the pres Mt sea-
son to the long and dry summer, unite 10 the
disadvantages incident toa crowded household
aud 20 long As we continue 20 be crowded
fear that under Ihe same combination o cir
eamstanees will be apt to have recurrence OF
a large amount of sickness Your plan for ar
L
summer, be executed, as | am well satisfied that
twill m terially compensate for some of the
evils incident 10 our crowded St te. The past
dry summer so reduced our general water sup
p y for some time We were insu4iei ntly pro-
yided with wat for bathing p opposes. so
ear V as the mi idle of last July, our nj had
dried, whence our chief supply OF water was
,btained, AMI there was hen supplied by The
basin instead If health giving balm the worst
. IN OF malarial poisoni &. to which we refer
much OF our sickness during the fail. While
there were not many deaths from acute disease,
the constitutions of many who were already
feeble, were totally wrecked. From review of
our tables you will discover that about sixty
per cent of deaths are attributable to twa di>-
eases, viz phthisis pulmonaris and epilepsy
Many patients on first ent ring the Asylum.
give unmsiakable evidence of pulmonary
disease; bat this terrible malady is
chiefly recruited from the wards in VIII oh thrre
IS MOI the least ing apparent to any sense
to show that the rooms and co ridors are mt
clean; but it evident that there
IS some latent local cause which develops
this disease, not only among the patients but
Il the attendants Could we devise some
means II remove the causes which deyel con-
stump ion and epil ptie auRmia our mortality
would be reasonably small. When attacked /
with consumption we, in common with the |
majority of the medical world recognize til |
vanity of human aid TO do ANYTHING but pal- +
lie day by day, the typical heclie flush which, /
u betrayihg the antagoniSm between life ami |
Heath, is the sure Indicator that the latter will
n few short weeks prove the victor"
Yet although the mortality for the past year
las beeu great, as will be seen by reference to
he report the greater part of the deaths were
o be attributed to pulmonary CONSUMPTION
md chronic epilepsy, and the Isercen age OF +
leaths bears fayorablA contrast with o her in +
titutio $ of the same character In the New (
[ ork City Asylum for the treatment of the in T
ane, the average percentage Of mortal ty for +
he past 35 years has been % per cent. Oregon /
Hospital for the insane for the last u months
las amounted to II per cent; Mississippi State
asylum, 1880, s per cent; 1881, u per cent. I
nd in all these Northern asylgims the foul air
t the war is is expelled by tifeial venhlating
machines, and while similar apparatus which
7ould cost perhaps exceeding i 800 or - 90
as been heretofore asked at the hands of the
legislature. No attention has up to the
resent time been paid to any suggestions
n the subject Thus it will be en- that if re-
is to rest anywhere on account of
he increased death rate of this institution, it
lust be placed on the shoulders of the
wv makers of the State who for the past ten
ears have closed their ears to the suggestions
various superintendents asking for facilities
n the improvement Of their sanitary surround
lgs and appliances, aud for an increase of /
eommodation for the maintenance and treat
tent of the insane
Considering the vast amount ef money in
ested IN the Insane Asylum it is raEher strange
lat no taeliilleS have been provided for the
of fire, and when we consider !
lat no less than three Asylums for the Insane
ave been destro ed by fire in the Unit,d /
bates in the past twelve months, and when we :
lrther consider that our own Institution is J
eeessariiy illuminated with coal OIL it seems
lat the plainest principles of common sense I
ould dictate the propriety of purchasing hose !
Id other apparatus for the conveyance of
alter in case of confagration. The only pro- n
sion for the extnguishmeat of fire fer the tif- :
en- different wards Of the Asylum and the cen
e building, is five small Rabcock fir extin- 8
lishefs. This apparatus is not costly and
lie should be supplied for every ward of tue q
stitution. Before the new roofing was placed :
pom the Asylum the l-akage was so !
eat as greatly to have impaired the
tegrlty of the ceiling many places, la
I'd IN the older wards the floors are i
e rotting away and repairs are demanded in | ?
9TH these particulars In concluding our re-
,Ft on this subject, we desire to state that the
nohg the inmates of the Institution, and have 3
uai ace 'mmodations and facilities for treat =
ent with the whites
IN regard to the Institute for the Blind it is i
ly necessary To state that II is in most satis
etory condition, tue pupils showing evidence
the care and attention given t. their welfare n
u although the building used for their accom- +
1dation is in dilapidated condition Since
is body has made all appropriations necessary II
{ the completion OF the new building intended
! them, we do not deem it necessary to adj
ything further on this subject to this report
W. #. HYER, Chairman