The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-02-01
CARE OF THE INSANE.

crease OF the insane. lnaI inc III
crease is rapid and apparently perma-
nent, is undeniable. The causes may
be left TO other hands for discussion.
They may be many or few. But the
effect remains: every state and county
has an annually increasing number OF
such unfortunates to provide for in
public Institutions.
As it is apparent that, notwith-
standing the enlargement, during the
past twenty years, Of the capacity OF
the state asylums, by the building OF
the new aSylums at Elgin and KAN
kakee, there is still inadequate pro-
vision in this state to provide for the
insane supposed, when sent there, to
be durable, to say nothing OF those
pronounced incurablc, the question,
How shall they be provided for? be-
comes weighty one all over the
state, and more particularly perhaps,
though not certainly in the northern
half Of the state where the great
towns are located.
The present practice is to send all
persons pronounced insane to the
State Asylums for treatment. If
durable, they remain there until a
cure is effected. If incurablc, they
generally remain there until the
county's legal quota, based on popula-
ton, is equaled or exceeded by the
number Of inmates, when, if the room
they occupy is demanded for supposed
to-be curables, they are permanently
returned to the counties from which
they came, which must provide for
them for the future. This neceSSi-
tates an insane asylum in every county
in the state, in which the insane Of
the county are to be kept, the insane
asylum being, like that of La Sale
county, simply a ward Of an asylum
for the aged, infirm, helpless and
abandoned poor of the county.
devised, say only from humanitar-
ian standpoint? 1t may well be ques-
toned. The probabilities are that in
vcstigaton will show that it is not.
The recent disclosures of the abuses
at the Du Page county asylum, while
not by any means IA picture of condi-
tions found elsewhere, show IA cOndi-
ton that is in degree typical Of the
usual insane aSylumS throughout the
state. The abuses of ignorant at
| tendance, the horrors Of filth, of eX-
tremes of heat and cold, of neglect,
arising from inadequate buildings, are
not confined to Du Page county.
They existed in this county prior to
the building Of the present asylum.
They exist to-day i'm scores of the
smaller counties to Il greater or less
degree. They do not arise from an in
difference on the part of the people,
but more often from lack Of pecuniary
ability to erect suitable buildings and
maintain them and from ignorance of
the requirements of an insane asylum.
This is amply and completely illus
trated in our own county, where, to-
provide for the incurable insane, the
Board of Supervisors built a warden's
residence and thrust the insane into a
building intended to house the poor.
1t cannot be expected that every
county can maintain an insane
asylum. Even were the means at hand
the men and women who can intelli-
gently manage the insane are scarce.
The nurse for the insane, as has been
truly said, sis like great pOet-born,
not made" This fact has become so
apparent to thinking and reading
men that IA movement has been
started looking to the care Of all the
insane in the state by the state in
state institutions. This movement
was first suggested by Supervisor
William NJ Read, of Farm Ridge.
whose resolution lof the September
session., asking county boards to
cooperate in petition to the LegsIa-
turc to provide more asylums, was
sent November l5) to all boards in
the state. The suggestion has APP
parently developed into an active,
potent purpose. Already fifteen to-
twenty county boards have taken the
matterup-all unanimously endorsing
the movement and passing resolutions
asking the Legislature to pass such
appropriations as shall be necessary
TO provide room for all insane, durable
and incurable. This will unquestion-
ably be one of the leading questions
before the next legislature; and if the
opinions of county boards are an index
of public opinion generally, it is high
ly probable that the Legislature will
be forced to take the matter up and
finally make the appropriation asked
for.
Savaral iuduac nf our state Sunrana