Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-08-26
MANAGEMENT OF THE WESTERN
LUNATIC ASYLUM

At meeting of the Directors Of this Asylum
on April 18th. 1891. 1t was Resolved. That {
committee of three directors. with the addi
ton Of the President of the Board, be appointed
a Publication Committed, to prepare for publ
cation such information in regard to the Asy
lum az they may deem to be of public interes
including statement of It's capacity. the mum
Der of Its inmates. officers, and employees, thu
cost o. its support, the extent of Its buildings
and such other facts financial, professional. Of
statistical, as they may see proper to empract
in their report,
In accordance with this resolution, the fol
lowing paper was presented to and approved
by the Board of Directors at a session held July
18th, 1871
Fifty years ago the best system of general
management for an asylum for the insane was
an open question. Many theories were held
on the subject, and various experiments made
which were abandoned as 1mpracticable az
soon as their results became manifest from ex-
perience. Among these theories there was
one which had. and strange to say. still has Its
advocates, although 1t runs plainly counter to
all experience in other departments OF human
effort. Its main idea was that the manage
ment OF each asylum should be divided be.
OF Its medical. and the other Of Its financial
and business matters. 1t was thought that
each would be check upon the other, and
that official malfeasance would thus be pre-
vented. But In reality, an the result showed,
1t simply produced an antagontsm between
officers whose harmonious co operation was
absolutely essential to the welfare OF the asy-
lum.
On this point we have the recorded testlmo-
ny of the highest possible authority on tue
subject, the Association of Superiutendents OF
American Asylums for the Insane. At thsir
meeting In May, 1875, they adopted the follow
.sThat the government of our hospitals. as at
present constituted. whereby q physician sup
posed to be eminently qualified by his proies-
al frQf HhQrQct9I.
both moral and intellectual, is invested with
the immediate control OF the whole establish
managers, as they are differently called in
different places, men of acknowledged in.
tegrity and Intelligence. has the general super
vision of Its affaii 8, has been found by ample
experience to furnish the best security against
abuse, and the strongest incentives to constant
effort and improvement"
dowed with the privilege OF scrutlntzing the
management of the hospital even sitting In
Judgment upon the conduct OF attendants and
the complaints OF patients, and controlling
the management. directly by the exercise of
superior powers. or indirectly by stringent ad.
vice. can scarcely accomplish an amount Of
good sufficient to compensate for the harm
that Is sure to follow"
The system of management, thus SO clearly
results to the test Of experience is the one
now In usein the asylums both OF this country
and of England. Under 1t Board OF Directors
control the financial operations OF each asy-
lum, supervise ITS administration. represent
the friends of the patients, and protect the
public interests by frequent personal 1nspec-
ton Of its condition.
They appoint as their agent a medical SUPER
whom they invest with full con-
troll of the institution in all It's departments,
but limiting his powers and authority to
carrying out their own views as to It's proper
and holding him responsible to
them Tor the proper and judicious exercise Of
the power thus delegated 70 him. The result
is, with rarely an exception, that laudable
ambition to meet we'll the great responsibility
thus devolved upon him leads him to feel
deep personal interest in the efficient working
of each department of the asylum and to las
Dor constantly to promote that harmonious
of all the departments, without
which 1t Is impossible to secure the fullest
fact that better results are OBJ
tanned by entrusting them ali to one agent OF
the Board than by dividing them between two
persons, each OF whom would probably THINK
ing sacrificed by the efforts of the other to
promote those of his own.
This last statement Is borne out by the
history Of this asylum. After a trial OF the
ling, then Superintendent, urged that 1t should
be abolished, in order to place this asylum on
a level with the northern institutions. or the
results Of his suggestion, and of their reason
lows in their report for 1910: For the purpose
both OF best occurring the benevolent objects of
the Commonwealth, and of obtaining proper
in the management of the asylum,
ferring on the physician the office and powers
Of General Superintendent, and defining with
and exactness the duties of all
ministerial officers and assistants. The work.
ing OF the new system has realized their
highest expectations, and they think they
may safely promise considerable reduction
n the future expenditures for the support of
,he asylum"