New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-16
THE FLATBUSH INSANE ASYLUM.
PATIENTS CROWDED IN A BASEMENT.
THE INCREASE DUE TO IMMiGRArioN-Ihh N0
rpoRrTIEs ON THE NEED OF A FARM.

THE INCREASE DUE TO IMMlGRATioN-rhE Ao-
T1oRrrIEs ON THE NEED OF FARM.
| Tho rand increase in the number OF insane per
cons nnder the care of the Commissioners 4I Cha-
tiles and Correction in this city and btook ,E 70 Is
giving the authorities good aea u IN $50 the
commissioners of Charities and Correction III
New-York had 1.763 insane women under t h.I
care In three wears this number had increased 10
2I74 In the same time the number OF INSANE
men under charge of the Departmeht incIeas stF
from $50 TO 1.4lO-a total increase oil BAL III .ie
number of insane persons made q charee upon Cno
city in three years This ratio OF increase con
tinues, and all the asylums are oNercrowdeu,
Dr. Macdonald and the other physicians IN GnaIgr
relief What is true of New-fork Is also true ol
Kings County. DR.. Shaw, IN charge OF the Mugs in
County asvlums. has been urging upOn TIE author
tiles of Brooklyn for two or three years lhe press
ing Importance of providing more room for the
patients. They are now crowded IN easements ana
everywhere that means could be found OF storing
them away. Dr. Shaw has officially informed the
Commissioners that the responsibility ior thls over
crowded condition of the asylum, ana the cohse,
ouent injury to the patients is ii serl0ns one ana
rests entirely upon the shoulders OF the county
authorities who have failed to provide more room,
Joseph Reeve, Commissioner of the Department
of Charities and Correction for Kings County, was
recently asked by a TRIBUNE reporter what was
being done to provide the reiei Sought pJ III
Shaw ,,o;, ae,,,,. rool;vo +ho
importance of providing more room. we nave "a
bill before the Legislature authorizing the
purchase of a large farm on which We can erect
detached buildings to for the increase and 1ur-
nIsh the needed relief 10 the dlSgraceiulIy over
crowded condition of the asylums. We are power
less now because we have neither the means nor
the authority to do anything There is steady
average increase of about seventy-iive a year III
the total number of insane persons remaining
charge upon this Department The unnatural
increase in New-YOrk aud brooklyn Is due 10 I'M
gration-neaTly ali the patients being foreigners
or the Issue OF foregn-bCrn parents" ,
"What Is the purpose of the bill now before tAe
cit authorizes the Supervisors to purchase farm
Of from 800 to 1000 acres on which TO erect ad-
ditonal buildings such means OF caring Tor tne
insane are strongly urged by Dr. Shaw, ana Ill 1act
by all the authorizes on insanity III TINS ana
foreign countries. 1t is now the plan on which
all modern asylums are beng built nat OF FURNISH
ing door employment as much as possible.
1t is not only the humane way of treating insanity
but it is question of dollars ana cents. III we
had farm we could utilize 40 per cent OF the male
patients, and by their labor could raise all tine
produce necessary for the asylum; Last year we
paid $50 SO for farm produce If we had raised
go 900 of that it would capitalize at per cent
am outlay of 100000. Or. Shaw has informed
us that 1t is dangerous to cOnine any more women
i'll the present asylum, and new building Is lhpeI-
atiVely necessary"
Dr. Shaw was visited at the asylum in Flatbush,
and he was asked tor his views on the subject
have 70 patients confined IN the basement OF
this building he SAID, and have been trying
for six years to get the authorities TO provide oter
room for theIu but without avail. Oi course, Inc
basement is necessarily damp and unhealthy. IN
the meantime the buildings have been crowded
TO their utmost capacity. Tbs building mas
capacity for 500 patients only but there are over
500 IN the building The Hospital for lncurables
has a capacity for about 200 PATIENTS, but there
are over 400 confined III the building. This method
of caring for the insane by cTOwdlng the acute
chronic and noisy patients and, In TACT all classes
together, is decidedly wrong from the humane as
pect alone. Besides, we are unable 10 furnish en-
pOyment to the patients, and from medical point
of view we are placed at great disadvantage;
There should undoubtedly be large farm PROVIDED
and detached buildings with variety OF employ
ment. There is now only few acres of ground
attached to the buildings
No. hsxrn ma n "a
g think that there are only two in the asylum
born of American parents. We get gOod many
who inherit their insanity from foreign parents,
and others who have been in foreign asylnms'
" Does the system OF non-restIalnt' ,Whlch you
ber9n here five years ago. meet w.th the same OPP
position in the profession as in the beginning =
"Ol no.. Its complete success Goul9 npt I' U 10
carry conviction. ] notice that lr Carlos Mac
Donald, of the Auburn Asylum, VINO at one time
opposed the system very strongly, IS now CARVING
il out there. In two years SIX different aSYluns
have established the nOn-restraint system In the
interest of humanity II must sooner or later Dc
adopted in all asylums am constantly receiving
take patients whose friends desire to pay for board
and treatment; but as this is a county asylum OF
course | cannot take such patients"
President Porter of the New-York Department of
Charities and Correction. was asked what was
being done 10 purchase farm Tor the Insane III
- We obtained an appropriation of $4,000 for
TINT purpose in 1882 he replied, :" but we nave
not been able to find a suitable place that we could
buy with the money. 1t would be q great adyant-
agS to get farm ON the water front which we
could reach by the Department steamer as well as
by rail But such land Is too dear anywhere within
rea sonable distance of the city. We are con-
siderng the purchase of farm on the line of the
Long Island Railroad MIR. COrbin offers TO make
reasonable terms for transportation, and thnk
before long we will select place and begin the
erection of pavilion We will soon begin the cree
ton of twO-stOTy pavilion on Wards Island, TO
he used as hospital that will cost 100000, and
will accommodate about 400 patients. We will
erect two more pavilions on Harris Island, one to
10 nln pnfI nF IA fSf
have the money now for those buildings. But of
course with the constant and RAPID increase IN the
number of the insane still other buildings will be
needed and they can be erected on the fHrm, when
we Oet