Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-09


and that it was ga great, an elegant, and
fourishing well.inhabited and we'll. built
metropolis-the Hellenic lion.
LEGISLATION OK INSANITY: A collection of the
Lunscy Laws Of the United States TO the year
1885, inclusive, and all the laws OF England on
insanity, and Of Canada, Germany, France, Bel.
GUM, Russia. etc. By George l. Harrison, Ii. D..
OF Philadelphia Privately printed for the su-
thor. Press of Globe Printing House. Philadelphia.
vol Imperial syo.; Law Library style; sheep,
The work embraces all the "Lunacy
laws now in force in the United States
and in England; alss, special legislation
on the subject in Canada, France, Ger
many and other countries. The work is
comprehensive and forms book of royal.
octave in size, containing over !, 100 pages,
The dissemination of information of the
kind contained in this volume is deserving
of encouragement to induce such attention
as will make it practically useful. 1t is
entirely certain that to all who have been
observant that there exists in the public
mind resolute spirit of benevolence,
which will exert itself in behalf of the
well-sscer tanned needs of its helpless men,
bers. 1t is only necessary that this spirit
be informed and deeply impressed, in order
to issue and make mandatory its commands
upon those whom it iutrusts with power
to provide the means for mitigating the
distresses that belong to the class named,
or to arrest such injustice as
the unfortunate insane suffer through
defective laws or evil administration.
The issuance Of this work will enlarge the
opportunity for each State to review its
own legislation and determine its merits or
dement's by comparison with that of other
States, and amend it, il found unsuitable
or insufficient 1t will be admitted that
no class Of the wards Of State merits or
requires more care. The question of the
treatment of the insane has received great
attention Of late years in a number of the
States, and the public miHd is very well
prepared TO consider and determine their
interests and rights, and to discard mis-
chievous and worthless laws and enact
others more consonant with the spirit and
intelligence of the hour In SO far as the
present work will contribute to that end,
its purpose being evidently to conserve
merciful policies, it will accomplish a
broad measure Of good. The author of
the work is evidently man with broad
and humane views. He served many
years as President of the Board
of Public Charities Of Pennsylvania, and
enjoyed fsvoring opportunities to observe
the condition OF the inmates of hospitals
and asylums for the insane in that and
other States. He extended his information
by visits to the leading asylums on the
continent Of Europe, and frat gave his
views to the public in a work entitled
" Chapters on Social Science in Relation
to State Charities. In no brief space can
we present the system that Mr.. Harrison
believes should prevail, and which he holds
is dictated by considerations OF humanity
and experience in the treatment Of the in
sane. In brief, however, we may say that
his plan is embodied in a report made last
year by Commission appointed by Gov
ernor Hoyt, of Pennsylvania. This Com
mission was instructed to inquire into the
present systems of treatment, aud report
the results of the investigation, with
recommendations for the protection
and treatment of the insane. The Board
consisted of persons vouched for by the
Executive as being of high order of learn
ing and experience on the question, whose
professional regulations demanded the
most practical consideration and action.
These gentlemen were the author Of the
book before US, John F. Hartranft, Rich
ard D. McAIurtrie, Joseph A. Reed, NJ. D;
5. Weir Mitchell, N. D.; J. 7. Rothrock,
NJ. D., and L. Clarke Davis. Their report
appears in this volume, aad may be taken
to reflect the opinions Of Nh. Harrison.
The propositions are to establish a
special Central Lunacy Commission for the
supervision of all the institutions in the
State for the care of the insane. To
this end they would erect the Board
OF Charities into such a Commission,
with three members added for this
special service, one to be a physician
of at least ten years practice, and one
lawyer of like term Of experience to pro-
vide that examiners shall be qualified. As
it now is, suy three doctors of medicine
may commit person to an asylum and in
wade personal liberty, without guarantee of
due warrant by the diagnosis of the case.
To abandon censorship over the CORE.
spondence Of the insane to restore the
commitment of the criminal insane to the
State hospital to invest the lunaoy com.
mission, or a board of visitors with one of
the commission, with power to discharge
any patient; to make the medical superin.
tendents of hospitals liable in a civil action
for bad faith or unjust detention or neglect
of a patient; TO have free and frequent of,
fetal inspections of the asylums to per-
nit the family physician to visit a
patient with the consent of Judge,
and to prescribe for bodily ailment OF
the prisoner by consent OF the medi.
cal superintendent to discontinue the
erection of large and costly houses for the
detention and cure of the chronic insane,
and make the present hospitals houses for
the durable. To provide detached, home
like buildings for the incursbles. This
may be done at the rate of $500 per
patient. This will give room for the
prompt treatment in the large hospitals
of the recent cases, which should be
treated on the first attack. To provide
convalescent wards for patients whose
mental rehabilitation is largely re.estab-
lished, with surroundings that will tend to
advance their recovery to employ only
trained nurses and attendants to fur
nish patients with useful occupation, the
Commission holding that to be one of the
best methods for advancing restoration to
mental health, and as employment will
render less mechanical restraints necessary.
In Eaglish hospitals restraints are consid-
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