The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-02-11
THE STATES INSANE.
Statistics of the Year at the Trenton
Asylum.

sey State Lunatic Asylum. situated Just
outside the city. has received and treated
:. 7.s59 cases since the opening Of the asy.
lun in May. 1s4S OF these 2,5ss have
been discharged as recovered, 1,702 dis
charged improved. 275 unimproved. q es
capped. 20 not insane. 1856 died, 425 re
moved 70 other Institutions There are
now 5s7 at the institut ion-39f men and
395 women.
The report Of the officers aud managers
Of the asylum. which will shortly be is
sued, shows that during the past year II,
cases were received. The whole nun Der
OF cases treated during the year was 955,
an increase Of . over last year, and oi
these l66 have been discharged
or the 7oI inmates now at the asylum.
Mercer county sends By far the greatest
number. having $50. although the quota
allowed that county Is but %. Middiesex
comes next with l2S. although her allow
auce is but so; Monmouth is the only
other county sending over a hundred,
having 107 on quota Of IS; Somerset Il
the next highest with Ga: Bergen. Morris
Union. Warren. each furnish but one. OF
the number now under treatment 677 are
classed as INDECENT, and are supported By
the counties from whence sent: "a are
private, and supported entirely by
State, OF these are from Mercer.
The largest number under care at any
one time during the year was 792: the
smallest 762, and the daily average was
about IA There were 76 deaths during
the year-42 men and "a women. Pull
monary consumption is given as the cause
OF death in IS cases; s from general
chronic exhaustion; from apoplexy, G
from epilepsy; from general paralysis;
from old age, and % from thirty other
causes.
The death rate in proportion to the
whole number under care during the year
was about eight per centum, which is
slightly above the annual average for the
past decade. This however, is attri-
buted TO the legitimate result OF
the accumulation of a large num-
Der OF chronic and lingering cases, as
very few cases were the result of acute
disease. Forty cases. or more than one
half OF the whole number who died, had
passed their fiftieth year, and thirty-four
the asylum for a period longer than three
years. In six cases death resulted in less
than one week after tine admission Of the
patient to the institution, and two were
In dyi7g condition when brought. The
ratio of recoveries in proportion to the
whole number admitted during the year
WAS nearly thirty-two per centum, about
the average annual result during the past
decade.
OF the III admitted during the year. 1s4
were first admissions; six were second:
three were third; one was fifth. and two
were tenth admissions Eizhty-nine
cases. IS men and Al women, were mar
ried, and 90 cases, 23 men and q women,
were single; 2 were widowers and l6 Wild
ows: three were divorced. and In cases
the social condition was uuascertained.
In % cases the father Of the patient was
incorporate in the use of alcohol and In
3 cases both the father and mother; in is
cases, II men and women, the patient
was acknowledged TO be intemper-
or both; in 81 cases, 26 men and
25 women, there was an acknowl-
edged hereditary tendency, decided in 30
and a predisposition to insanity in "a
cases. 10 Of these received the hereditary
iaint in the Daternal and Is in the mater
nal line, while in IL cases insanity was
simply acknowledged to exist IN some
branch of the family; in IL cases, Il men
and women, there was decided suic-
daI tendency, and in 81 cases, men and
IA women, suicide was threatened: in 10
cases. 6 men and 4 women. there existed
a decided homicIdal tendency; l03 Of the
patients were born in New Jersey. The
cause of insanity in IL cases is given as
general 1il-healLh: in 9 cases vicious
habits and indulgenees; 7 from alcohol
ism; Is from domestic troubles and
affiiction. from La Grippe; from ex-
cessive use OF tobacco; Z from overwork
and privation; 5S from causes unknown
The other cases We're the results Of var
ious causes.
The Board of Managers in their report
state that the completion of the new
building has given the long -wished-for
opportunity to better classify the patients
and thus facilitate the treatment OF re-
cent and more durable cases. The asylum
has never. during the many Years of its
existence, been SO thoroughly equipped
for work IS at tine present time. Tney
also state that excellent condition Of the
institution is such as to reflect great
credit upon Superintendent Ward and all
associated with him in services faithfully
performed Superintendent Ward in his
report furnishes many interesting statis-
tics relative 10 the patients under care at
the asylum.
The report of the Matron shows that
9,002 articles OF various kinds were made
during the year in the sewing room.
The receipts from the farm and garden
for the year were Ss.710.66 and the ex-
penses to those accounts amounted TO
S, 400. The receipts from the dairy, to-
gether with the stock on hand, amount 10
IS, l0979 against Sc, 792. 81 expenses. The
cost of maintaining the institution
for the year was $222. .979.14. SSl, ,99s 80
was paid out for the new building;
S12576.4l for fuel; Sc. .05S "a for fixtures;
81 "a for furniture; S62. I73.SI for groe-
cries; s, ESQ sc for grounds and grading;
S. $50. 20 for ice: S5.09Lf6 for repairs and
improvements; $494lf3z for wages. So
907 03 for wheat. Mercer county paid $32,
726 A for the maintenance of patients
during the year; Middlesex paid SIS. .6sS 2S,
the next highest amount; Camden coun "
paid the least, only $50. 10