The Indianapolis journal., 1885-12-06
THE HOME OF THE INSANE.
What Journal Reporter Learned by a
Visit to the State Asylum.
How the Patients Time Is Employed, and
the Good Resultsof Their Labor-The
Schools and, Attendants.

"A "islt pdiV ny q JOuTudl rcpOEIer W tHe llOo-
pital for the Insane, a few days ago, revealed
the fact that on Thanksgiy, IN, day there were
served to the patients J, 300 a.unds of turkey,
three barrels of cranberries, 200 gallons of oys-
ters, and an almost incredibly large supply of the
necessary accessories. The celery and vegeta-
bles used are raised on the farm. DIR. Fletcher
states that, with the aid of patients, he could
easily cultivate farm of 1000 acres. Out of
1,490 patients there are 900 ssho voluntarily
work eight hours day His idea Of curing
insanity is to keep body and mind en-
ployed in occupations that are congenial
and healthful-in shor' % depend on good food.
pleasant work. and abundant outdoor exercise
Yesterday of 626 males, all but 80 were either
engaged in light labor or took outdoor exercise,
and of 741 females only 45 did not either labor
or go walking in the grounds. The Doctor holds
that, as insanity is symptom OF disease rather
than disease per Sc, it is not to be cured or
controlled by drugs and so dosing is not
encouraged. During the last month, but
two drachms of morphia, two pounds of
choral, three pounds of bromides, and two
pounds fluid extract of ergot were used by 1,500
patients. Labor and exercise serve as sufficient
sedatves to both body and mind, while pure air
and good milk. which are used in abundance
take the place of alcoholic stimulants OF the
latter but two gallons Whisky have been pur
chased by the State for any purpose whatever in
the hospital. The attendant physicians al
lowed to prescribe liquors however. whenever it
is deemed necessary. Ir
A special feature of + present hospital man
agement is that of hav he patients eat in gen
eral dining halls instead or the small ward dining
halls, thirty together, as the former custom
Seven hundred patients now take their meals
In two great dining-rooms. By this change the
ward dining rooms can be used for dormitorles
and so about 250 more patients are accommoda-
ted in the hospital and without increasing the
cost of service. This has relieved the county
asylums to such an extent that there are
now but about ninety insane women still
remaining in the county poor houses, instead of
3OO as before. Moreover, the food is better
served, and the change is agreeable to the pa
tlents. AS to the number of insane in the vari-
Gus counties, Dr. Fletcher states there is no
positive knowledge. The township assessors,
many of them, fail to comply with the stat
ute which requires the number Of insane, idiotic,
blind and deaf and dumb to be reported annually
to the State Statistician. These reports will
not be made until special commission is ap.
pointed by the Governor or otherwise, to visit
each county and determine the facts themselves.
This DR.. Fletcher advises. The superin-
tendent says that to Mrs. R. T. Brown, of
this city should be given the credit of having
done more than any other person to secure the
removal of insane persons to the hospital. This
she has done through the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union, which has a secretary in
every county In Indiana. Through their
efforts women have been found who had been
kept naked and chained for years in the
county poor houses, and in some cases not
even kept restricted while in this abiect condi-
ton, from public gaze. The statistics as to these
unfortunates are utterly falacious and worthless.
Even in Marion county the number of insane is
not reported
One of the most important and successful re-
forms DR.. Fletcher has brought into the hospital
is that of substituting man and wife as attend
ants in place of two young men. 1t is more
hOme-like; the woman keeps things in good
order, looks after the clothing and exercises a
matronly influence over the men in the wards.
The husband attends to the outdoor exercise
and between them the ward work is evenly
divided. Young men are too fiery for attend
ants; they are too apt to strike blow,
whore kind but firm word is all that is needed
There are thirty patients to a ward, and seven
wards now have this kind of attendance, and
the intention is to make 1t general in the male
wards. The establishment of female physi-
clan in the womans department-in this case
DR.. Sarah Stockton-Dr. Fletcher regards as a
great benefit. In many cases, a physician of
their own sex has succeeded in diagnosing and
treating diseases which otherwise must have
gone unattended. The house physicians
have organized pathological society, with
DR.. E. F. Hodges. of indianapolis, as patholo-
gist for the hospital. Some thirty autopsies have
been made by the various members during the
last year, and the results recorded. The object
is to see what light may be thrown upon the
varied and obscure causes of insanity by the
various methods of scientific research. No
educated physician of the present age believes
in diseases of the mind" in any sense that the
organs of the body and the derange-
ment Of their functions. 1t is hoped
by Dr. Fletcher that the labors of
the pathological society of the hospital may add
something of value to the vexed question of the
causes Of mental impairment, and so make both
the medical and surgical treatment of the insane
more efficient. At least it may prevent the va
rious attendant physicians of the corps, some
half dozen in number from falling into that
which is the be- .ng evil of the sal
aried physicians e public eelymosynary
institutions in which the appointments are
quite as likely to depend on political influence
or personal favoritism as upon scientific and pro-
fessonal attainment
The superintendent is also attempting to for
tify his schemes of mental renovation by making
the hospital q pleasant home, In which the pa
tients have plenty to do to eat to see and to en-
joy by an -ddi tional plan, the novelty of which
is only excelled by its reasonableness. This is
nothing less than the formation of schools for
the insane. Already 160 are enrolled Many
advanced in middle life are learning to
read and write for the first time. Music draw
ing embroidery and blackboard exercises are
also taught to the females, and also, light calls
themes. There is no school in the male depart
ment as yet. DR.. Fletcher hopes to form one
where other forms of manual labor than garden
ing may be taught, and in which the products of
industry may go to the benefit of the patients
and the hospital rather than to the State treas
ury AS it is, the dainty bits of lace tatting and
embroidery, wh fiji large case in the
waitngro0I e. +. h'1s aa to the State Just
bones and grease from the kitchen refuse. And
so the best stimulus to intelligent manual labor
along the line of the arts and trades is lost to
the insane. Scroll sawint broom and basket
making are among the light occupations havinga
productive income. in which the superintendent
would like to interest the patients All the
brooms now used in the hospital are made by
Mr.. Reynolds Olin, a patient from Gibson
county, and the first student of the Blind
Asylum, where he learned his trade He
is a hard worker, and his brooms frst-class.