The Portland daily press., 1888-01-05
superintendent's Report.

ley, Mrs. f. Torsey, E. A. Thompson, j. w.
Dearborn.
Superintendent's Report.
The superintendent, Dr. Bigelow I. San
born. in his annual report, states that at no
period have there been so extensive and i'm
portant improvements accomplished either
in repairs or new constructions, as during
the last twelve months. The year has been
an eventful one in the direction Of increased
demands for accommodations and treatment
of patien is, resulting in a considerable lar
ger daily average number of inmates than
has heretofore existed, and of an unusually
large percentage of recoveries, which has
exceeded that of any former year during the
existence of the hospital except one, The
percentage of recoveries during the year,
based upon the number of admissions. is
SO 2S, and 1887 upon the number under treat
ment. No unusual sickness has occurred in
any department, to mar the comfort of pa
tients, or to interrupt the usefulness of the
officers or employees.
At the beginning of the year, Dec. /, 1886,
there were resident in the hospital 52S pa
tients-262 men and 266 women. Two hun
dred aud twenty-six have been admitted
since-131 men and 95 women; making the
whole number under treatment 754-393 men'
361 women. OF these there have been dis
charged 2O2-10S men and "a women; leaving
at the close of the year, 552-285 men and 267
woman. One hundred and sixty-three of
those admitted during the year were on their
first admission, AZ on their second, IL on their
third, ON their fourth, 2 on their fifth. and
3 on their sixth. We find the following to be
Il. AT of 4hro Il aaar rad.
ed, 85-44 men and 3S women; much i'm
proved, 33-15 men and Is women; improved.
1912 men and women; unlmpr0yed, Id
men and Z women; died, $50 men and "a
women. OF the 81 discharged recovered, SO
were on their first admission, 16 on their sec
ond, on then third, on their fourth, and 2
on their sixth
No zymotic or contagious diseases have Wis,
tied the institution in any form. those dying
being spared from long continued physical
suffering. OF those who died, 81 were more
than 80 years old, 70 between so and rs, 8 be-
tween 20 and 80,and three had passed beyond
four-score and five years of age. The cause
of death in 16 was terminal dementia, 4 Sc
nile dementia, and chronic melancnolia;
thus establishing the fact that nearly one
half of the deaths was the result of absolute
mental arrangement, rather than the Sc
quence of any acute or superyening physical
disease.
BY observing the admissions, it is apparent
going changes and notifications during the
past few years, in the direction of melancho-
liza. This type of insanity gives rise to more
pronounced and frequent homlcidal tenden-
cies. There have been admitted during the
past year 90 patients afflicted with marked
homicidal or suicidal impulses; 80 of the for
mer class and 3S of the latter. The causes
of death were as follows Ansarca, man;
acute mania, 9-3 men and women; acute
melancholia, 2 men; apoplexy, a. men and
a layu fun nnn
mania, woman; chronic melancholia, a.
men and women; exhaustive manla,
woman; epilepsy, man; general paralysis,
men; Misrepresentation, 2 women; latent
phthisis, woman meningeal Inflammation,
! man; senile dementia, men terminal de-
mentia, 16-7 men and 8 women; phthisis
pulmonalls, man.
The assigned causes of insanity in those
admitted during the year are: Brain fever,
/ woman; business embarrassment 2 men;
congenital weakness, woman; chl0ral hab-
it, man: critical period OF life, z women;
childbirth, woman; domestic affiictlen, IA
-5 men and 9 women; domestic lnfellcl-
ty, 7-2 men and women; disappointment,
81 man and women epilepsy, 1l-9 men
and women exposure in army, men; for
observation, man; heredity, / woman; IN
temperance, 16 men; injury Of head, men;
injury of spine, men; injury OF stomach,
woman; injury from fall, man; i'll health,
17-5 men and II women; lactation, l wom-
menstrual irregularity, woman; over-exer-
tion, 11-3 men and women; paralysis, "a
men and woman; puberty, Al man and
women; religious excitement ! woman;
senility, "a men and l woman; spiritual
ism, 2-1 man and / woman; Sunstroke,
men unknown, 90-54 men and 36 women.
The social condition of those admitted:
married, 103-54 men and 40 women; wild
owed, 21-9 men and II women, single, 95-
60 men and SO women; unknown, 7-6 men
nd 1 RaiiOinp 0f fbOca admifta0
Catholics, 32-,17 men and 10 women; Protes-
tants, 1870 men and 81 women, unknown,
27-25 men and 2 women.
The hospital has now been in operation AZ
years, during which. time 7070 patients have
been admitted. and 6518 have been dis
charged OF the latter, 1924 were improved
1048 did not improve; and 1884 died. The
actual number of individual patients admit; /;
ted has been 5348. In the treatment OF
patients, valuable aid has been rendered by
curative measure is also emphasized.
The yield of products from the farm has
been about an average. The hay crop was
unusually large and well harvested. Inc
grain and other products compare fayorably
with those of last year, with the exception
of the potato crop, which was nearly total
Future needs of the institution are pointed
out by the superintendent. Iron floors
should be substituted for the wooden ones
WUtn but fIOpcI tlluC COHlCo. n bOW Duilu
ing for the storage of straw is needed; the
consideration of introducing electricity is re-
commended; the renovation OF Amusement
Hail. the construction of new coal shed !;
increasing the herd of cows, as during the
year 1000 gallons of milk per month had to
be purchased to meet the deficiency OF the
yield.
Chaplain's Report.
The chaplain, Rev. John b. Jordan, says,
in his report, that no one can attend the
Sunday service without being impressed
with the close attention which is given by
far the larger number of the patients in at
tendance; and no one can doubt that the
gospel of Him whose mission it is to "bind
up the broken-hearted," has come with spe-
cial comfort to many who have listened. A
very important and impressive part of the
chapel services has been the music, under
the direction of DR.. Hill, assisted by choir
composed of attendants. 1t mas been of
special merit, and its beneficial effect upon
those present has been obvious.
The superintendent and those associated
with him in the arduous work of directing
and caring for all the details of the institu-
tion, evince more than an official, perfume
tionary attention to those committed to their
care So long as the need OF such an institu-
tion exists, our State has reasen to congratu-
late itself that it has such good one, and
the friends OF the unfortunate class who
find home there may confidently feel as
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