Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-03-20

sition seems to have been of such kind
that the venerable Dr.. Hiram Corson.
who has spent great portion of his life in
q successful effort to have the female in
sane attended by physicians of their own
sex. characteriZes it as 'syindictive.'7
Naturally, as i'll all eases where public
servants resist public sentiment, the usua-
result is about to follow, and the superin
tendents are about being reduced to the
ranks. A bill has been introduced in the
Pennsylvania legislature providing that
within three months after the passage of
this act, the entire control of and manage
ment of all hospitals for the care and treat
ment of the insane poor, Which belong to
the State, OF which receive aid from the
State, shall be conferred on the Board of
Trustees Of these hospitals-as is Tow the
case at the Eastern Hospital at Norris
town." The act takes away all authority
| from the superintendent, makes them APP
pointive by the Trustees and provides that
| ''they shall have no other duties than those
which pertain to them as physicians to the
| insane" And further the act provides
that the trustees shall "appoint a skilful
female physician and such female medical
assistant as may he needed to have the ex-
elusive control and medical management OF
the female insane in these hospitals" This
act has been recommended to the legisla-
ture by fourteen medical societies of Penn
sylyania and the State Medical Society OF
Pennsylvania, and is responsive advance
of opinion in the medical profession to the
advance in public opinion. The strange
thing about it is that both the profession
and the public should have been so slow in
coming to it. 1t may he set down as a
proposition that cannot be refuted, that u
JemaIe erords Of an asylum that a female
physician IS 5n the male acai.ds. The
scenes, the language, the abs olute and shock
ing denuding OF an aleniated female mind
witnessed by male physicians would bring
a thrill Of horror to the mind of every man
and woman who has female relative in an
asylum if they only realized them. The fact
that the physician is a gentleman and
ChriStian-and he is generally both in All.
asylum, is absolutely nothing compared with
the fact that he is man and an intelligent
witness of these horrors. Nor will anv
one who is familiar with the subject hold
for {; moment that a male physician can
ever enter into that absolutely frank and
;nreserved mental relation with an insane
woman and so gather her fullest confidence
III discovering her ills, that q female phys
ician can.
Virginia has but one woman physician in
a single one OF her asylums. In the others
insane women are under the medical care
Of men, some of them young men. This
should be changed, and we look to the next
legislature to pass a law changing it. For
tunately the next Virginia legislature is
likely, from all present indications, to be one
that will not he afraid Of a reform in the
Interest Of humanity and decency because
it is q ''IeW idea.' and will not be lacking
in courage to make that reform if it has to
sweep bigotry, prejudice and self-interest
away with strong hand to make it, He who
opposes a reform which promises q more
decent humanity to helpless insane women
Should have his foot in the stirrup.