Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-01-11

LOCAL.
IHE INSANE
INTERESTING sTATIsTICs-THE POPU-
LATION-LONG LIVES OF HOPELESS:
CONVENIENTLY NEW PLAN FoF
SUPPORTING THE AsYLUMs, RECON-
MENDED BY DIR. CONRAD-EACE
COUNTY TO PAY FOR THE PATIENTS
IT sENDs-THE OCCUPATIONS OF THE
INsANE-EXCELLENT RESULTS SHOWN
IN THE SUPERINTENDENT AND
STEWARDS REPORTS.
&C., &C, sc.
We have received from DR.. D. B. Con-
rad, Superintendent of the W. L. Asylum,
the reports of the Board of Directors and
Medical Director of that institution for
the year ending September LIST, 1888. From
them we gather some Items of interest to
the general reader.
THE POPULATION.
On October 1st there were 304 maIe and
BIZ female patients in the Asylum, total
OF 6l6. OF the males 218 were single, III
married, 9 widowers and unknown. Of
the females 1876 were single, ia married,
80 were widows and 5 unknown. To &C
commodate this population there were 251
single rooms and 100 associated rooms, and
to attend to them there were 81 male and
% female attendants, and 2 male and 8
10
INCURABLEs.
For 500 out Of this population of GIG the
Asylum was only place for being taken
care of. and without any hope of benefit
from medical treatment. That number
are reported by tie Superintendent to be
''quiet. harmless and incurable." and
could safely be associated in large rooms
IN separate buildings designed for this
class. Both the Board and Superintend-
ent urge that some such provision be made
for them, and the Board thinks that for
$4,000 two buildings can be erected on
the grounds which will serve the purpose.
YEARS OF HOPELESS RESIDENCE.
One patient has been in the asylum for
over half century; two, between As and
SO years; five, between 40 and 45; six, be-
tween IS and 40; nine, between 80 and So:
eleven, between 25 and 80; thirty, between
20 and Is; sixty, between Is and 20; forty
seven, between 10 and Is, and so on. When
you come down to the comparatively short
term of between five and ten years, you
find that there are one hundred and seven
teen.
THE DEATH RATE.
The year the Asylum was opened, in
1928, there were SO patients, and during
that year every seventh one died. Again in
1910, there were 81 patients. of whom every
seventh one died. There was no mortality
approaching that until the last two years of
the civil war-1S63, when every ninth one
died, and 1864 when every tenth one died.
The record of the Asylum on that point for
1883 is excellent only q patients out of 695
having died-or about one out of every 26.
Its record on the proportion of discharges
to admissions for 1SSS,is even more marked
in point of excellence, for out of So admis-
sions. So were discharged. This proportion
has not been reached before in ten years.
Since the year 1927 there have been 4,O61
persons admitted to the Asylum, of whom
l,149 have died, 2 1886 have been discharged,
and GIG are now there.
A PROPORTION FOR CHANGE OF THE
MODE OF sUPPORT-EACH COUNTY
AND CITY TO PAY FOR THE
PATIENTS 1T SENDS.
In his report to the Boardof Directors,
DR.. Conrad, the Superintendent, makes
the following suggestions: GAS the SIM
plest mode of supporting our asylums, we
would suggest: First. That every county
or city support its own patients. and pay
only for those it sends to the asylums.
Second. That the bond for support be
signed by the supervisors of the county,
or by the president and members of the
committee on the poor in the cities, pay
able at a certain bank every three months
by the treasurer of the county or the city.
Third. The board to vary according to
the market prices from 1915 to So or 81 a
week-say from $3.50 to $20S a year.
Fourth. In this way the asylum is paid
exactly in proportion to its inmates. The
dir ectors know beforehand the quarterly
amount due the asylum. and it is not cut
down one year and increased the next as
the Committee on Asylums may deem
best. No committee of directors will be
needed annually to apply to the Legisla-
ture and persuade it to provide for the
needs of the asylum under their charge
The jailers are now allowed from so cents
to 81 day for board and $50 for clothing
of the insane, and this is the allowance
when boarded out. We find that in this
asylum they can be cared for in every par
ticular for 50 cents day, $3.50 week,
$l4 month, or $40 year.
HOW THE COUNTIES AND CITIES ARE
REPRESENTED.
The counties which are most largely
represented among the patients are, Au-
Qusta which has IS, of whom 81 are males
and % females; Shenandoah. 20; Freder-
lex, "a; Loudon, 20; Rockbridge and
Rockingham. 20 each; Pittsylvania, II;
Bedford, %; Amherst, IA; Campbell, Is,
and Nelson, 10. The little county of
Bath has 6, Highland 10, and Allegheny
5. Among the cities. Norfolk is repre-
sented by S; Lynchburg II; Richmond
city, 26. OF the 100 counties of the State,
eighty-four have representatives in the
asylum, and of the eight cities, three are
represented there.
THE CAUSES OF INSANITY.
ar the 63 DatiantS admitted during tho