New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-22
IMPROVING CITY ASYLUMS.
WHAT rs TO BE DONE TO BETTER THEM.
DIR. MACDONALD TELLS HOW PART OF THE IN
CEASED PRECIPITATION IS TO BE SPENT.

Dctpr IN the circumstances OF cntS, attennants
and physcians brought about by the increased APP
rrorriation granted TO the Department of Ch.r-
ties and Correction Dr. A. f. Macdonald, the
chief superintendent, is delighted with the i'm
proved prospect of the institutions under his care
In conversation with TRIBuEN reporter the
other day, he referred to many of the improve
ments which are rroje ted and which will be
made as soon possible.
YES" he said, there is brighter prospect
now. We have hitherto had to get along with az
! allowance of 80 cents day for each male patient
| and "a cents a day for each female patient. With
out the work Of the patients themselves the insti-
tutons could not have possibly have existed on
that. There are about 800 female patients on
B'ackwells Island 100 male patients on
Wards Island and of hopelcssly incurable cases
there are about 900 at Harris Island. We had
branch at the Homeopathic Hospital and one at
Randas Island, but after we knew OF the APP
portionment these were abandoned. There used
to he a hospital at IIart's Island That was added
to the accommodations for the insane and the pa
tients sent TO Randalls Island to occupy
the places Of the insane formerly kept there. This
gives us more room and at the same time concen-
trates the insane at three institutions instead OF
five. The number of nurses and attendants at the
asyums will be increased and they will get better
wages
pETTER TIurs FOR THE ATTENDANTS.
How many attendant have you had hereto
forc9"
Heretofore the average Of nurses or attend
ans patients has been to fourteen, and that
was really much lessened by certain number
being away on leave or sick and forth. The
new apportonmpnt will enable to have one
nurse or attendant on the average. to ten atients
I'm acute cases we will have one TO FIVE The di-
vision OF attendance among nurses is regulated by
the Stpte Of the patients they have To look AFTER
10 mild cases NAV have only one to fifteen
"At Blarkwels and Words Islands we are
going to build Sc arate houses for the nurses Tho
objection has existed that they sleep in the same
wards with the patients Now each will have his
or her own room. and they will also have an
amusement room in which to spend their leisure.
Moreover. by taking the nurses ont Of rhe over
crowded asvIum buildings we will leave much
more room for the patients We have had two
patients in a room meant for we had to put
two nurses in room only mcant for one. Each
attendant has heretofore had five DAYS off in the
year AZ is We will add two more days
That is not as much as | would like. hut II 'S an
i'm rovement on wh't hos hepn. And in future
thew will so have thrtv-sx hours off in the
fortnight instead OF twcnty-four Their table
will be considerably bettcred. and the male at
tondants will have in addition to their uniform
blouse cap with device on it. so they will he
IN uniform ont of doors well as in doors. The
female nurses get dresses, caps and aprons"
How does the new rate Of wages for the at
tendants compare with the old ?"
Tho female nurses used TO begin at SIG
month and the highest they could get was sls,
and that was only within the last year. when we
man ged 10 morcy in another direction, and
raised the salary of thirty Of them from sl6 to
'1S. Such pleased lOt Of people Won never saw.
several Of them had been in tho service for more
than twenty years. One had been emploved over
forty years AMI had never got more than s16
month This year we are allowed 100 nurses at
,lS and 60 at SEQ In the male asylum the at
tNndarts have hitherto begun at 500 and after
six months service, if thev did we'll. that was
ro'sNd to s22: then limited number got s25
This wear will have 100 NJ S?F ord 70 ut 800.
We have eicht rhipf "ttendantS That is some
thin" new: because IN now tho mon did not care
to occnpv these RESPONSIBLE positions with no adj
Iitoral monetary Inducements. These chief Of
terdartS get 1920 wear o" S@5 month. We
havo fetoer mochnric attendants m look after
ard diroct tho ratents in tho workshops Thov
for'N"r'v rot from S25 to $40 month. Now they
will Get e25.
~ r"ppOVr TUr CoOKrVG DrrARTMrNT
" Thore is 70 he q great mprovemert in the cook
inc dcnartment The cooking has becn poor
We have had no one TO do it except detailed at
tend3nts. men with only smattnrng Ct the neres-
sorv knowledge. ana all that we could pay them
s25 a month. Now are allowed 5000
year for first cook and $500 for second in
each Of tie 'sylums AMI am arrinsing 10 have
French chefs from tho French Phianthropic So
cety We going to have better cooking APP
paratus at all the asyums-arger ovens and all
the Necessary utensils
We have already opened a bakery on Warl'S
Island, where bread is baked for patients For
merlv we got all bread from Backwol's
Island whore it baked for the wOrkhOuse
ing Wards Island Int RandalPs Island well
when everything is fairly in working order I
have been irving 70 ACCOMPLISH this for a long
time. and the bakery is graf success. We have
plenty of employment ont Of doors for orr patients
IN summer. hut have hpon puzzled TO get safe in
door endowment in winter. as we cannot trnSt
them at a kinds of work The bakery viii give
hea'thv oc"u alton To LARGE number Here IS
some Of the brood Taste II" Tho reporter did
50 II evcolient: hctter indeed than much Of
rho bread supplied in city restaurants and
bakeries
"'1,o eurp'ios arc cercralIv imrrovedn resumed
pr mcdonnell. "IrsteHd Of giving ratients MI
common meat at rents n Mound. we arc now
two DAYS we"k '~ivino them m@at worth 70
"onte p"r pound W. propose to increase cithcr tho
ouortity or the quality of all other articles
usedn
CUINGre IN OUTING.
"Wil thpro he any imnrov"ment alteration
made in tho clothing Of naticnts''
YES We have hitherto given To the n
uniform suit. al Of color and thov locked
'iIye-weI thcv locked like inmates Now we'll
give them srits of different colOrs of cloth and
have variety. that thev will look moro lil,o
ord nary citizens and they won't have the same
feeling Of depression that the wearing of uniform
causes some people, The clothing will he made in
the asylum and will lie sufficiently uniform to
identify it's wearcrs and prevent es apes within
the last few years we have given the patients I'M
dershrts Now are going to give them drawers
how b>b re Win n
was AZ al cold we had to keep them indoors. As |
nuickiv as we can shall now provide overeOats |
for ALL and give overcoats to all those usually |
EN- loved out OF doors
viii the WAGES ~ the other EMPLOYEES be in |
creased as well as those of the attendants p'
Yes In the engineers DEPARTMENT we have |
had great trouble from insufficient salaries and |
the city has lost good deal more bv damage TO |
anparatus from the Incompetence or drunkenness |
Al. hn1