River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-01-08
A Visit to the State Hospital for the
Insane at Mendoza.
Rrurn E.rrs w

RIVER FALLS, Wis, Jan. 5, 1885.
EDITOR JoURNAL:-Duringt the last week
it was my privilege to visit an institution
which in its work has given the State of
Wisconsin great reason to be proud.
allude TO the State Hospital for the In
sane at Mendoza. Commanding as it
should the hearty sympathy of all hui
name men and women, particularly with
in the borders of the Badger State, | am
led to believe that a description of the
institution as | saw it last Wednesday
may be of interest to your readers.
In company with Pres. w. ID. Parker
took the train from Madison for the
hospital at 2:40 p. m, arriving there in
twenty minutes. A few minutes walk
brought us to the chief building of the
group. Ringing we were ushered di-
rectly to the office of the Superintendent,
who was at the time engaged in another
part of the house. He shortly made his
appearance and learning our purpose
expressed a willingness to conduct us
through so many departments of the
hospital as we desired to see. Leaving
the Office, whose chief attractions were
its Clearly, business-like arrangements
and its medical library, rich in the lltera-
ture of alienism, we passed to the drug
store and record ROOM Here we found
an ample supply of medical material and
two assistants engaged in work upon the
records. We were shown the form OF
record kept of each patients daily eondl-
ton, extending to the minutest detail,
comprehending among other items all
dietetic variations, personal habits as to
sleep. cleanliness, food and exercise. A
summary of all these reports is made
monthly to the Board of Supervision.
Passing next to the basement we en-
tered the kitchen and found the attend
ants there engaged in the preparation OF
supper. The floor was a model OF cleanll-
ness-and let me say right here that this
was a characteristic of the entire house.
Every floor fairly shone in the richness
of its polish At one place the meats
were being cooked; at another pastries;
here an experienced cook was preparing
broths and gruels for the patients requlr-
ing special diet; and there were hun
dreds of loaves of bread, than which
none whittier, lighter or more inviting IN
odor and appearance ever come to the
tables of River Falls Our attention was
next called to the tracks and cars by
means of which these edibles were trans
ported from the kitchen to the elevators
in the different wings to be by them
conveyed to the various dining rooms.
Reascending the stairs we visited the
general library from which the reading
Of the patients is supplied. This room is
used only as a repository for the books
and not as reading room-fortunately
so as it is the only room in the building
which is inadequately lighted. Contlnu-
ing our upward course we were soon in
one of the wards, where we found some
thirty male patients in charge OF two at
PENDANTS, both young men. No percepti-
d 10 Ii n
erty of the entire hall, the day rooms and
reading rooms seemed at the disposal of
all. Some read, some walked, some
played games; others engaged in CONVEX
sation and few only seemed to eschew
all companionship and amusements. All
the proverbial characteristics of the mad
house were wanting and one could not
avoid the impression that he was in the
midst of the great sanltarlum, that he
was visiting not a prison but health
resort. Particularly was this thought I'M
pressed by seeing some fifty of the female
patients out walking in charge OF single
attendant a young woman probably less
than twenty-five years of age. Successive
wards. a dozen OF which we visited, all
seemed to tell that IN "ministering to a
| diseased mind" the Superintendent, DIR.
| a. 3. Buckmaster, had learned that all
restraints are Yltlatlng, and that II we
would enlist nature in that most difficult
| of all tasks, the PREPARATION of shattered
| intellect, we should give the greatest
amount of liberty consistent with safety.
| Inspection of the dining rooms tempted
| constantly to the thought that we were
seeing the refectories of the better class
| of attaches of the establishment and not
| those Of the patients. Clean linen, bright
| silver and shining glass were found in all
I fNho 10 hlaG taStpfIIllW
arranged and all things spoke of intelli-
| gent and humane management
The lighting, heating and ventilation
| were all that modern science could ac-
| complish in these directions. In point
| of cleanliness nothing was lacking. Eyes
| accustomed to look for and discover the
| various little evidences of untidiness or
its fellow, superficial cleanliness, found
nothing to criticise. Evincing desire to
see what manner Of bed was given the
| patients, DIR. Buckmaster pulled to pieces
| one upon which we had already placed
our hands and disclosed to us sheets,
blankets, spreads, mattresses, ETC., OF
whose condition any honest wife might
| be proud
a visit to the laundry found great
number of persons employed, one attend
ant telling us that 10,500 pieces were
washed each week. To do this work and
heat the hospital $500 tons of coal are
annually consumed. There ae at present
about $50 patients in the institution, the
majority Of whom are men. The faces
| of the male patients as a rule, to which
| however there were exceptions, seemed
to tell one of two stories, either inherent
imbecility or uncontrolled passions or ap
| petites. The female patients presented q
| more diversified appearance and would
. L. - haI; hot rt,t hfc Gil
of the house would be found the most
| complicated cases.
| The Superintendent deserves compli
ment for the mastery management Of
bis institution, extending to the minutest
detail; and the kiLdest wish that | car
frame towards him whose intellect is
broken is, MAY he fall into no less skill
full hands than those that now administer
at the Mendoza.
Very truly yours,
G.. I'll. KEYEs.