Helena weekly herald., 1889-05-30
for Infants and Children.
INSANE ASYLUM lNVES SrIGATION
Statement of DIR. Cleyenger as to the
Treatment of Patients.

CHICAGO, May 22.-In the inquiry as to
the state of affairs in. the Cook County In
sane Asylum to day DR.. Clevenger, for
merly a member of the medical staff there,
testified that it was impossible for repu-
table practitioner or attendant TO stay
there. The most disreputable ones were
the ones to stay, because they devoted
more time to intrigue. The disrepu table
ones practiced system of elimination of
the better element by either physical
violence or other means. In 1886, said the
doctor, physicians who secured bodies at
the asy lum for dissection at Rush Medical
College told me that the bodies were 80 COW
cred with vermin they had to be scorched
before being placed on the dissectiDg table.
Once in 1885 heard screams of pain, and
running from my Office found two attend
ants standing over patient who was
bleeding prOfusely. l knew there was no
use making any complaint, as these attend
ants were supported by influence on the
County Board. Soon after they refused to
obey my orders They secreted bodies on
which l desired to hold post mortem ex-
aminations and could not get them for
two or three days after they were buried.
/ published statement and the following
night one of the attendants abused
me. A few moments later a slot was
fired down the stairs and bullet crashed
through the floor and lodged in my book
case" Soon after this the Doctor re-
signed.
"What is the matter with the ins .itu-
tion," asked the attorney.
1T is under the influence of boodlarism.
1t is in bad place on insalubriOus ground.
There should be two new buildings, one for
male and one for female patients. Then
the county board should be kicked out and
the asylum put into the hands of State
Commission
DR.. Clevenger told how the boodlerism
has prevented any investigation. Even
afraid of the boodlers, who
said there has been repeated testimony that
vermin abounded in the wards, and Dr..
Kohler, an assistant physician, found
mageots ia the wounds of neglected pa
tients in 1884. Bedbuds would torture the
patients under their straight jackets, and
Iats would mutilate the bodies of those who
had died unattended during the night.
The male attendants were usually ap-
pointed by the county commissioners for
their fighting abilities at the polls at elec'
tion time. Brawls, drunkenness, pistol shoot
ing, immortality, stealing, etc exerted a
very depressing influence upon officials
there and caused them to waste much OF
their energy in keeping out of rows. The
The county boards financial reports were
falsifed and confused in variety of ways,
and often the expression general expenses
would cover thousand dollars or more Of
unaccounted for bills. Everything was
done to make an apparent external clean
illness, but the whitewashing and flowers
and well-kept lawn constituted the place
but whited sepulcher.
CHICAGO, May 23.-Dr. Clevenger was
on the stand again to-day in the insane
asylum investigation. He told how the
employees, backed by political influence,
refused to recognize the authority of the
superintendent. As to the expensiveness OF
the Cook county asylum as compared with
State institutions he said the State institu
tions' rate is about So per capita per month,
while in Cook county it is $12. He
believes Cook county has paid as high as
$50 per month per capita. The most ex-
pense was for whisky. With 1,5O0 patients
in Kankakee (Northern State Asylum) the
liquor bills amounted to 5000 or $500 per
year. In Chicago, with an average of 800
or 900 people, the same bills amounted to
$1,000 or $4,000. The excessive cost was
largely due to stealing.