Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-01
VERYBADLY CROWDED
Insane Hospitals in as Bad Shape in
This State as in New York.
DIXMONT is MUCH OyERCROwDED.
No Hope Of improvement for the Next Two
Years at Least.
NEED OF MORE HOMESFOR STATE WARDS

The startling intelligence gained by the
investigating committees on the over
crowded condition of the hospitals for the
insane at New York is little, if any, worse
than the condition of similar institutions in
this State. There are five hospitals or asy-
lums in Pennsylvania that are charged with
the care of the insane wards of the State.
They are located at Norristown, Harrisburg,
Danville, Warren and Dixmont. All but
the last named are supported and controlled
by the State exclusively. Dixmont is a
private institution, but has contract with
the State for the care and treatment of the
insane on the same terms as the others. All
the hospitals receive private patients, but
the great majority are persons committed
by the authorities, either the court or poor
authorities, under State laws.
Dangerous to Crowd Patients.
The Dixmont Hospital was originally
built to accommodate 400 patients, subse-
quently brick annex was built to accom-
modate 100 more, and within few years
two dormitores were added affording room
for still 100 more, making the total capacity
from 600 to $50 patients. But the present
been necessary to put several persons in one
room, thing that should not be done with
insanity patients, as all experts agree.
James B. Scott, who is a member of the
Lunacy Committee Of the State Board of
Charities, and who furnished this informa-
tion, says that while this crowded condition
is a distressing inconvenience there is no
immediate prospect of relief "The last
Legislature" he continued, "passed an ap-
preparation of $500, coo for State asylum
for chronic insane. Until that is built,
probably two years hence, there can be no
improvement in present conditions There
is difference between the purpose of this
institution and those now in existence in
this State. 1t is to be used exclusively for
the humane care of those unfortunates
whose insanity is incurable, while the
present hospitals are not only taking care Of
that class, but are more especially intended
for the treatment and cure of acute insanity.
"When the new institution is built 1t Will
relieve the present State buildings OF its
capacity of 700 patients. But by that time
the number of insane will have increased so
that another building will be required and
so it will go on year after year. The insane
population of this State, under supervision of
the State Board, numbers between 200 and
5000, or IL per cent of the total population,
and past experience shows that they fully
keep up with the growth of the population
at that rate.
Necessity for More Insane Asylums.
s'It is the opinion of experts on the subject
that no directory should be charged with
the responsibility of caring for more than
five or six hundred insane patients. Instead
of enlarging present buildings the policy of
the State should be to provide more of them
of smaller capacity. The Norristown
hospital has now about 900 patients, nearly
200 over its proper capacity and
Harrisburg is equally crowded, the build
ing at Warren, put up IL years ago being
the only one not filled beyond its proper
limit.
'There are several private asylums in the
State, also under State supervision, such as
the Kirkbride at Philadelphia, the Pitts
burg and Allegheny City homes, and other
like institutions, and they are all crowded.
There is one commendable thing about the
law in this State. No private asylum can
exist without State license and State su
pervision, and no insane patient can be
treated outside his own family without COM
pliance with this law.
"a statement has been published recent
ly," concluded Mr. Scott, "that should be
corrected. 1t was that the Dixmont Hospi-
ter rom the stae s matter of ac
Dixmont has received no money from the
State, except the regular 50 per week for
each State patient, for several years, though
no institution is more deserving"