The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-02
4 STATE HOSPITAL.
Rsmatks of Or. Luther Serton, ID Befor.
fhe lfisssssippi Pyess Associqtioa, n Be
MN of State Hospital.

ion for the past nYe years with increasing
interest: but have never before had the
,onor Of meeting you in 3 body. The
,ress Of Mississippi has indeed become
:neh a mower in the land, that it moulds
,ur thoughts and shapes our destiny 10
marked extent. It is this recognized in
duence welded by the press that prompts
me to appear before you this evening 10
enlist your sympathy and ask your sup
mort in a cause, which to my mind, is par.
amount 20 any of the topics which hre at
present agitating the public mind.
| notice the issues TO be brought before
the next Legislature as tabulated in some
of your State papers to be, a Railroad
levee fund, repeal of liea
law. elective Judiciary, etc, but am sorry
to say / have failed to notice any sugges-
ton relative TO the establishment OF a,gen.
eral State Hospital for our INDECENT sick
This cause seems to have fallen into in.
significance before the more absorbing but
less important topics referred to. The cries
of the afflicted, suffering, deformed, and
-decrepit invalids who are scattered abroad
over our State should raise wall in our
ears more lamentable than all the Others
combined; and it is in their behalf, that
/ appear before you this evening, asking
only a small portion of your valuable
time to their consideration.
Mississippi with her population Of
!, l3l 800, and an average amount of sui.
fering from all the diseases common to our
Southern climate, with her pro rata Of
deformed and decrepit invalids, calls loud.
" for your assistance and sympathy. The
subject of 4 State Hospital is not a novel
n haf,r, I.,Ht I
ture, but was not favorably acted upop
owing to strenuous efforts to establish tn,
new insane asylum at Meridian aud o,he,
important projects which were then de.
manding attention. This great cause was
then championed by Drs. liver, Robin,
aud others-gentlemen, we'll and favorable
| known all over the State, and | am in.
| formed by private letters from some oi
them that the proposition will be renewed
with increased energy at the next Assem-.
bling of the Legislature The demand
comes up from every section of the Stair
| Nine-tenths of the medical profession ~
the State--men qualified to know the i'm.
portance of such an iustitution-are AL.
ing for it. DR.. Robbins, on the psrt cf
! Vicksburg was authorized to offer the hos.
| pital building and the commodious lots ha-
longing to them, as an inducement for
State Hospital at that place, with the con.
sideration that the State enlarge and main.
tain the same as State institution The
same offer stands open at present. This
is truly generous in Nicksburg and her
people Their hospital buildings at Vicks.
burg arc the only ones in the State tbst
assume the proportions or dignity of a hos.
pital, or that in any way provides for the
indi ,ent sick OF the State, and thew only
have limited capacity for about seventy.
five patients. These substantial Stone
buildings, with their commodious lots
would be a considerable nucleus for tho
establishment OF an institution common.
1 surate with the great and pressing needs Of
the State in this behalf. Or If some more
central town should be chosen. doubtless
similar inducements would be offered from
the favored place. l mention these facts
merely TO show the practicability of such
an investment, and the interest manifested
at Vicksburg on the subject.
There the benefits accruing from the prac-
teal workings of a hospital are daily Illus.
| trated, and her people are fully awake 10
! the necessity of a general State institution
on the same plan. Statistics will prove
that general State hospital properly off.
cered and equipped with all the modern
appliances of surgery for the treatment Of
| fractures, club-foot. curved spine, and in.
Vulnerable other diseases, not necessary to
mention, which the country practitioner il
not prepared to treat, would be a matter Of
economy to the State, in making useful and
sclf-sustaining citizens out of many Of our
deformed and invalid oripples who could
be relieved by proper appliances and treat.
ment. BE it said to our shame that Mis-
sissippi is one of the few States in the
Union with her million OF population and
no provision in the wav of a State hospital
for her unfortunate sufferers.
The reason of this is partly due to the
fact that we live adjacent to New Orleans,
where one of the grandest institutions OF
the kind in the Union is daily open for the
reception of suffering humanity at large.
Most of our physicians are either gradu.
ates Of the University of Louisiana. q
have seen the practical workings Of the
great Charity Hospital, and owing to the
convenience of the place and the lcuiency
of its managers towards admitting outside
parties, recommend their patients suffering
from chronic and often iucuraba diseases,
to avail themselves OF its privileges.
BY reference to the annual report Of the
Charity Hospital Of New Orleans for the
last five years, find that Mississippi sends
-prrvovvrUSo of zoo per year to our sister
State, and many of them, as stated above,
suffering from diseases of a chronic M.
ture, requiring one or two months care
and attention. Estimating the expense Of
each patient at ten dollars per week (which
is the very minimum) for nursing, medi-
cal attention, medicines, etc, and the aver
age length of time each one remains in the
Hospital to be six weeks, the sum total Of
their expense in one year would reach tho
round sum of Sl5,600, or $4,000 within
five years. This is the charity Mississippi
has asked Of her unfortunate sister State.
which has been struggling til recently I'M
der the most oppressive rule Of carpct-bag-
ism, whose State Treasury has been plumber
ed, and which is to day laboring under q
burden consequent upon large State debt
That State is making herculean efforts 10
cast it off. Shall we burden her longer by
caring for our most unfortunate citizens2
| appeal to You can we, with
money in our treasury, with all the natu-
raj advantages that we possess longer tax
Louisiana with this never-ending stream
OF pauperismY 1t should become matter
of State pride, and every public-spirited
citizen should raise his voice against its
longer perpetuation. Louisiana has borne
II without murmur for these many years,
but complaint has been recently and very
Justly made, that we should not disregard.
During the long night Of our political
gloom, when our treasury was empty and
our people burdened with taxation, there
was some excuse. Mississippi now, how
ever, is in the hands of her friends and is
N a prosperous condition. In the day Of
'ur prosperity let us remember those in
diversity. Let the Legislature and the
press take one step forward. We know
hat AL that is necessary is that this sub
ect pc agitated. 1t carries It's own per-
'uasive appeal to the heart Of every citi-
zen. III you have not seen the necessity Of
uch an institution, it is because your lots
lave been cast in more pleasant places II
'op have not heard the appeals Of the sut.
ering poor, it is because they have no
eason to believe the appeal could be heed
d, unless at your personal expense and
{ 1 6nd the following editorial in lhe
upon the report Of the
= ~ s'AASh 6uS5 AdE 10 buUW tut NSl4FN
the people in Louisiana on the subject:
'sthe grand jury again call attention to
ne Tact that our sister States are still using
he Charity Hospit-laof this city as a gen
raj aims house and hospital for their deS-
.tute and incurable sick. nhWhen we called
ttention to this circumstance, few days
go one or two Alabama and Mississippi
aPers resented our suggestion that their
Iates should pay portion Of the e1-
enses OF supporting their sick. With the
port OF the grand jury before us we can
y put renew our suggestion This report
eelares that "a considerable number Of
* and destitutes are sent here to the
Marty Hospital quite as matter OF
'urse Rom adjoining States, principally
ON the state Of Mississippi. These cases
2 generally Of the worst kind, and we
we received positive assurance that in
Q recent cases, iticurables have been sent
. rom the last mentioned State Louisi-
!. alas never refused the advantages OF
= = il'sIi y 20 anyone II is open TO