The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-03-22
JERSEYS CRANKS.
How They Are Cared for in
the Trenton Lunatic
Asylum.
INSANITY'S VARYING FORMS
Annual Reports to the Legislature
The Patients and What
They Cost.

about the States insane patients, as
set forth In the annual report OF
the officers and managers of the State
Lunatic Asylum, just 0 this city, are
full Of interest to every me-. There have
been a larger number of these unfortu-
mates under care and treatment in the IN
stitution during the past year tnan ever
before. AT the close of the year, OCTOBER
81. there were 76S cases-391 men and 3S7
women. AL the close of the previous
year there were 761 patients. n wnole
numbered cases under treatment during
the year was 947. Or this number 10y
were discharged as follows:--Recoyered,
81; improved, 30; unimproved, q, ana %
have died.
Since the asylum was opened, IN way,
1S4S, there have been treated 1,2SS pa
tients. OF these 1888 or about one-thIrd
have recovered; 1,67l have been as
charged as improved; 2TS were dlscharged
as unimproved; 81 escaped; "a were pro
nounced not insane; 1859 died, and 40
were removed to other institutions.
OF the whole numbtr under care at
present 672 are classed as INDECENT, anu
are supported by the counties from
whence esent. Ninety-three are private,
and are supported by friends, and l3 are
supported directly by the state. VI thls
latter class. 3 are from Burlington, i
from Gloucester, 4 from Mercer, 3 from
Middlesex and 2 from Monmouth county.
Twelve are men and l woman. The
largest number under care at any one
time during the year was 1S6, and the
Males number 549. The daily average
was about T6S.
OF the 6S who died during the year, 20
succumbed to pulmonary consumption.
The form of arrangement of the pa
TENTS admitted during the year was as
follows
Manio-acute. 43; chronic, 30; recur-
rent, 6; puerperal, 5. Dementia-acute.
10; chronic, %; senile, II. M~elancholla-
acute. %; chronic, 10. General paralysis,
Z; epilepsy, 10; imbecility, 3; not insane,
z. The largest number were between 40
and so years of age, then between 20 and
30, and following that between 30 and 40.
The average duration of residence in
the institution of those who recover
was, for the men, nearly 10 months ana
for the women about 8 months.
The following were the alleged causes
of insanity.-Ill health, 81; vicious habits
and indulgences, q; alcoholism. IA; expo
sure to the sun. etc, 5; epilepsy, y; do
nestle Affections, Z; domestic troubles, 8;
injury to the head, q; old age, 10; loss OF
property, business troubles, etc, Z; puer-
perul state, 5; excessive use of tobacco, 2;
fright, 2; excitement upon religious sub
jects, 8; overwork. privation, etc, I; coll
genital, 4; ~menopause, 4; uterine disease,
5, suppression of menses. 3, disappointed
fi&l6EOlOL6so oDCOllAC OAoCuoC0f s. 4O1o "
sleep, etc, 8; not insane, 2; unascer-
tanned, Al.
There were 11S natives Of New Jersey,
IL of Pennsylvania and 10 of Ireland.
In 40 cases of those admitted there was
an acknowledged hereditary tendency.
III 16 cases there was a decided suicidal
tendency, and in IS cases suicide was
threatened. In s cases there was q de-
cided homicidal tendency, and in 8 cases
homicide was threatened. In ~ cases
the patient was acknowledged to be in
temperate in the use of alcohol or opium,
or both. In Is cases the father of the pa
tient was Incorporate in the use of al
cohol. Sixty-nine cases were married
and "a were single; IL were widowers and
IL widows.
The superintendent in his report speaks
of the new building which has been COM
pleted. and is now occupied by patients.
he gives a description of the structure,
and then speaks of the ventilating and
heating arrangements as follows
In the cellar an air-chamber extends
the entire length Of the building, four
hundred and f1fty-eight feet long, twelve
feet wide, and eight feet two inches high.
The walls on either side of this chamber
are of brick, eighteen inches thick, and
contain all the fiues, both for heating and
ventilating purposes. Those for heating
are stopped off on the corridors at the
places intended for delivering the hot air,
diracf ~ ! fo11l mir har IL tho ,tt;o
With Il sim;Iar IN &c ~ tbaf rasi' al.
chamber already referred To sc heinz in
the %caIlar TSron, This charnbar the 7o,,i
air escanas intn vantilatnra sit,atad ~,
the roof and in which are nlaced stasm
coils for for rarefv;po The ar ME nfsn ~
vent;Iatian is simn,e in const,,,csian md
II has maven 70 he -tbnrou rhIv efren.iu ~
immediatelv ii the rear Of the centre
bniidin~ nna bnpdreG ard aftv faot III
tant apa commercial yvitb II ~ = ,3nSarI
gro.,nd nsssare eight feet ,y'da AND siy
fast Mon ;s Incatea tla hoiler bo11sa IN
snnniyino steam for heating ard cnntina
nnrposes g'hrongb this nndergrn,in5
passage hive hean taken al stsa7n NJ
wafer condense ami @as mines Tins ,nnGG s
mo than readily accessihie in native
necessarv ranairs md randaring Has
$40 fron, aceidanr tror, tbac oid ,raothar
The hnildinr is constrncted of stone and
finished in detail similar 10 the main
sfrnctnre' and il eighfv-ive fcet 1ong hv
3ftv-fonr feel, wide Tbe ho1ler-ronS, Z
fiffy-fonr feet Nv fiftv-four feet is nne
sIo5v in hejght and has an iron tr,ss roof
and = stone iioor aphe boilers are tbyea
IN numhsrs made If steel locomotiuai IN
nattern. and ara Of ninety horsesnaSvar
zach immediatelv adioinino tba r.air
boiler-roon on one side and forward ~
Hell boilers is . lar0e nndarpro1,nd uanit
for STORING coal. iii order to maintain tha
s1Inniv dirinr tha Indictment yveatha,
FF-'.4 ~. s