Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-26
THE VERMONT ASYLUM
Report of the Trustees of the Institution
-Iuteresting Statements.

The trustees of the Vermont Asylum
for the Insane, in their report for
the biennial period ending July 81,
1888, it being for the 5lst and SEND years
of the operation of the institution, for the
first time in the record of their service
find it incumbent upon themse yes to call
attention to the necessity for additional
provision to be made for the insane of the
State. For upwards of half a century the
institution at Brattleboro has been made
to serve the wants of the State. and in so
doing its trustees have ever been mindful
of their obligations to the fullest required
and implied extent The capacity of the
asylum is fully As great as in their Judg-
ment ii is wise to make it, with regard to
the individual welfare of its inmates. For
many wears past 1t has been filled to its
fullest cap tcity and for the two years
past the inconvenience incident to over
crowding have been so great that the con-
tinuance of this state of affairs is likely TO
| bring along with it more or less detrment
! TO the good results naturally expected.
| There is limit to the number which in
| Difference to the welfare of such a house
hold cannot be exceeded. That limit
must be determined by those in whose
hands is vested the management; and any
number in excess of 400 patients to some
| extent interferes With the comfort OF the
| household, aud initiates against the best
practical results. The average for 10
years past has been 445. For the two
years last past 1t has beeIl 4Gl
| The report OF the uptrlutendent, DR.. J
| Draper shows that there are 46S patients
in the local institution, 251 being men and
| 2ll women There have been 2l2 admis-
sions during the two years, u
dtaths and 80 recoveries, SO cases in
which improvement is shown and 30 pa
tients were discharged as harmlessly in
| sane. The whole number of patients adj
Mite. to the asylum IN 80 years is 62sS,
1922 men and 1866 women. The recover
| les during The same period number 2i50
aud deaths 1871. Superintendent Draper
| reports that the majority OF the cases are
hereditary.
The supervisors of the insane in their
report also allude to the crowded condi-
| ton of the asylum aud strongly favor the
| removal of the convict and criminal insane
| to an institution expressly provided for
| that class of persons. The supervisors
notice that since the State has assumed
| the payment of the expense of supporting
| the insane poor while III the asylum, there
has been disposition on the part of many
of the towns to place their harmless and
demented insane in the asylum, and thus
save the town the expense of supporting
them in their poorhouses or in private
families Had it not been for the law
which makes it the duty of the supervs
ors to discharge such persons, and
the published statement that they would
be discharged the board thinks that the
asylum would have been entirely over
run with this class of patients. The sup
ervisors have once in each year visited DR..
Clarke's Lake View Retreat, and in their
report they pay well deserved tribute to
the value of the institution. The State
has paid Sos, 055 annually tor the support
of the patients in the asylum.