The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-08-05

was so imperfect that the air was
always tainted with reDulsivc and IN
wholesome odors. For over sixty
patients there vas only one closet, VITA
| room for one person 1T time. The
brutality, cruelty and inhumanitY Of
the keepers was Incredible. | would
not have believed that such state of
things could have existed in civilized
community if l had not seen it with
nv own eyes. If new patient was
quiet. we'll and good. If not. his spirit
| was broken. have seen thee keepers
throw Il patient on the floor, strike him
with their fists. kick him in the face and
so abuse him that l thought he would
die under their hands. / often heard
them say: Il wcnder we didn't kill
that fellow" The head keeper walked
up and down the room when he felt ous
of humor. striking the men right and left
with leather strap and sometimes
pushed them down fight of steps by
way of variety. have seen men driven
from their meals by blows over the
head AMI then seen them running about
the yard with blood streaming down
their faces. l have seen al epilept c
beaten over the head until the blood
gushed from his nostrils because nc did
not give up box of dominoes quick
enough TO suit the keeper. When the
assistant superintendent saw him the
next morning he said:
whats the matter with your face?"
''He's got the mumps, said keeper
with a sly WAX. and they laughed over
the matter nc a GOOD Joke
You think we're cruel" sai1 a
keeper to ne one day. You ought to
see how they treat them in POUCH
kecpsie. We're kind in comparison to
the way they treat them there"
The manner in which patients ere
treated in our public and private asy-
| lums IS disgrace to our civilization.
There will never be any change for the
better until different class of keepers
are employed. Young medical students
! or graduates, who wish to make 4
speciality of nervous diseases, could
| ind no more suitable place 10 study
! their symptoms than in an asylum, and
| have no doubt would willingly act as
keepers. or, as they euphoniously call
| themselves, attendants. Keepers are
not only brutal, bat are also ignorant.
! They mistake the Authorizations and
vagarics Of insanity for ugliness or bad
temper, and they try to cure it by pun
/ iShment. saw patient suffering from
melancholia given 4 cold bath, and
afterward knocked down because he
would not behave hi!nselfproperly. If
Il patient says any thing insulting to
them they resent it as quickly rs though
| he was in his right mind. | have seen
an old man over seventy have his ears
soundly boxed for daring to criticise y
keepers baseball playing. When they
arc not abusing the men they are teas
| inc them for amusement, or In order
| to Kill time, SO that in one way or
| another they are always doing some
thing to aggravate mental disease and
chan &c tenn porary into chronic insanity.
| If had been treated as most of the
patients were | would never have lefp
| the place alive, as | am naturally of an
unusually delicate constitution. Fortu-
nRtely [ was boarder, and to this
circumstance alone 1 owe my recovery.
Iwould earnestly entreat the rel
atvcs and friends of lunaticS never to
put them in an asylum if there is the
| slightest hope of their recovery. In
these institutions every thing is against
| their impreVcment-thc associations
for one thing. Imagine consump-
tive, for instance, smut up with fifty
other conservatives: the sympathetic
action would certainly increase tho
violence of his sease and retarI it
cure. The same thing is true Of mental
diseases. IAN. 4 person is taken
| from nom, where he has dclicato
food on table furnished w tn respect
| able, for want of a better word l will
say, furniture, clean cloth, dainty
dishes, glassware, etc. There he MI 1t
cat of IL bare plank, with ill tasting
knives and spoons, made of pewter,
while all his food is mixed together on
| one plate. All around him are his fell
| low lunatics. eating like hogs with their
fingers and muttering to themselves.
rhe keepers meanwhile are cursing and
swearing or throwing potatoes at thu
men for joke. Your appetite is de-
stroyed, AMI the little food you manage
to force down is not digested and barely
suflices to keep body and soul together.
have no special fault to find with the
quantity and quality of my food.
although Twas never able to cut the
beefsteak, and rs for the tea and coffco
well, the pauperS hal enough to eat
such as it WAS.
Finally the patients in a.ylums are
aiways more or less cruelty treated.
| The medical attention is purely per-
functory and all the officials are indif-
| ferent to everything except their
salaries. If you want to see poor
| human nature at its worst spend three
months in mad-house. If YOU want to
realize the value of money and what it
can do for you live in public insane
asylum. I've been miscr ever since
left it. A good private nurse and a
skillful doctor can often restore =
! patient to reason who would never re-
cover if placed in an asylum
A word or two to individuals suffer-
| ing from nervousness, a mild form OF
insanity. and which is always Liable to
develop into 4 serious mental disease.
Never, under any circumstances, use
either liquor or tobacco; the fewer
| drugs, tie better. All these things
render the nerves more sensitive, ami |
can say from bitter experience do far
moro harm than good. Avoid anodvnes
rs You woulI poison. You had better
lie awak all night than suffer from the
! effects that invariably follow from their
use. Fresh air. gchtle eXercise-vio-
lent exercise is very iniurious-and
suitable employment are the RENE lies
that will alleviate this disea e. Don t
think about yourself; get outside OF
yourself rs much rs p ,Ss bic. &C
conpIish this by frcqIenting places %
amusement and losing self in the WOO
e I and N,