The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-12-06

is the sovereign agent to heal the sick. and
to renew the youth of the aged. Aud anon
comes the ''blue- glass; crank. the water
cure' tiend. and the ''mind cure" fanatic.
The light of modern science and inveStiga-
ton has dispeled many of these illusions,
and we now see bodily disease treated in
telligently; large hospitals have been erected;
the various forms of disease are classified.
and provisions made for each as science and
reason indicate; contagious diseases are
separated from innOcuOus ones, and each
contagious disease is isolated as much as
possible. Every department has its corps
of physicians who have been carefully
trained for their profession. Each individ-
ual case is studied thai new light may be
thrown upon the origin and treatment of
disease. Money is freely offered to further
special research in th"variOus departments
The medical fraternity now enjoys an en-
viable reputation for skill and learning.
fully warranted by the achievements of the
last half century.
What progress have the doctors of moral
disease made during this period? They
have had disseRtions in their ranks. too,
and various ''schOOls" have been the re-
suit. There is the one that advocates
solitary nfnement-cOmplete isolation as
a radical cure. Some have believed that
the only remedy was to send all the pa
tients to an island in midOcean. Others
have chained the invalids together and
worked them Oh the public roads, thinking.
doubtless. that plenty Of fresh air. and the
admiring glanceS and comments of the pop
ulace. would prove sure cure. Still
another school, and very large one, had
its origin great many years ago. They
firmly believed that the shaving of the head
and face. and the wearing of an artistic suit
of striped clothes would have most salu-
tary influence upon the diseased mind.
Another school was equally positive that
the origin of crime was clearly traceable to
the tongue. They asserted that if the pa
tient was only kept from talking long
enough, that cure was certain. In what an
aStute mind this must have originated! 9th
ers taught that it was the name and not the
person that was at fault. and they would
deprive the subject of his name, substitute
a number for it. and 10! the transformation
is complete, and cure effected.
A glance now at the present status of this
learned profession. They have built vast
hospitals for their patients, but what
curious hospitals Every patient has
nice little room, all to himself, with
nice iron door to it, This hospital seems
light, airy and very cleanly, let us take a
walk through it and see what wonderful
changes modern civilization has made in
this department. Why, all the heads and
faces are Shorn. venerable custom surely,
it's origin is hidden in the mstS of the Dark
Ages. The patients are all dressed in
striped clothes. What wOrshipperS of me-
di3val art ye doctors of morality are! Every
invalid seems to be Speechless, and even do
not look around as we approach; are we in
the deaf and dumb department? No one
allowed to speak word! Let me look at
my memoranda-B. c. $3.50 Rameses 1.
commanded that no prisoner should speak
under penalty of death. All, Rameses, if
the life blood could once more invigOrate
the shriveled and petrified form that was
once the temple of your soul, which has
been removed by unhallowed hands from
its repository for ages and is now exhibited
to the gaze of thOusandS-if life could re-
turn, methinks that all would prove strange.
unreal. wonderful! Yet if you would but
take walk through our prison of to-day.
you would be reminded on every hand, of
the age in Which you lived and ruled. but if
you could lay down once more for a nap of
two OF three years and then awaken, these
familiar landmarks and customs will have
disappeared. The doctors of morality are
but just emerging from the mists of antiQ-
uity. Customs. rules, regulations. usuages,
hOary with age, are still in force. Up to
the present time there has been little or no
scientific research. no classification of dis
ease, no intelligent separation of the classes,
no money freely donated for special study
and improvement.
What parody on penal science! that