Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-10-19
Western State Hospital

The board of directors of the West
ern State Hospital had their annua
meeting at that institution at Stauntol
on Tuesday, its president, Mr.. j. T.
Beckham, presiding.
The principal business was The fnan
cial report and winding up the affair
for the fiscal year, and the report o
Superintendent Benjamin Blackford.
One feature of the report is the clause
as 10 the value of employment and
amusement of the patients. The value
of these to the unfortunate insane
which has been maintained by advanc
ed students Of iosanitv, is recognized u
this asylum; and with most grat.iji
results. The entertainment feature la
miliar to citizens, but it is in the line
of employment Of the patients that
their condition has been ameliorated
and improved, and much valuable
work secured from such as are physl-
cally able. A corps Of competent and
humane physicians decide wno are ply
sically and men,sl.y ahle to work.
The patients lie t1e emp oynent,
which has proved beneica to them
bodily and menta''v, aud by u i:zi3g
tlcir services mucl moIev IS saved 10
the State, ia the iD1:OYemcrt OF the
grounds aud other pleasant outdoor
work.
In this connection the sH1eri9 en-
de,t poiuts out The impraCt . ,r O.
the es ablishmelt OF Sial e wo'f loI.e
ior the SO. called Harmless and nee :
bic insane" showing that the same &c :
vice can be secured under prescott COZ
,liiions without the extra expense t"Hi
wcuId be iacurred ia the consitac o.
aud conduc5 Of the proposed wo h
r11Se.
Among the recommendations is or e
that the word ''iuuatic' be eliminated
from The tile of the State institutions
aud lat the name Of this institutions
be cqan2cd from the Yves ern Luua(ic
Asyldm to the Western State Hospital.
RE reason given is that the words
",dnalic" and asylum" are distas.eiul
alike 10 the patients and their friends
The new steam plant had been eject
ed during the year. Ii was recc5:ily
because of The dilapidaied condition
and inconvenieut location of the old
one.
Among The Acknowledgements are cE
preSsious ofgratitude and appreciation
to The people of Stanton who have aid
ed in furnishing amusement and enter
tainment to the patients, and to the
board of directors for their wise, care
ful and economical management of the
finances and supervision of the admin
istration i'll every detail.
The following interesting statistics
on movement OF population are from
the report:
Number ofpAtien.s, October 1st, 1888
339 males, 323 females, total 652. Ad-
mitled during year, 76 males. 81 females,
total 1871. Total in asylum during year
was Males 40, females 3S4, tot"l 799.
Daily avcrlge-340 males, G25 females,
total GG5.
Discharged during the year Recov-
cred, males AZ, females 81. total 76. BY
order of court, female. Improved, *
males, females, total q. Urimproved,
male, female, total >. Died-males
~, ltUldItS ~, lplsil L OlSi INV 'S''
50 males, 5S females, total l4O.
Total remaining September 3Otf, {,
lS93-Males 33333, females 526; total G59.
Admissions dui ing year-Males 7G, fe-
males 81; total 137. OF these, II
males and so females were re-admit-
ted leaving the number of first ad-
missions 655 males, 81 females Total
lie.
The highest number in the asylum
during the year was on August 3lst,
lS93-G&2. The lowest was on No
vernber Sc. h, 1S92-C57i Monthly ave
rage 666
Percentages of recoveries 10 admis-
sions, 5G. Percentage of deaths to
daily average, .06.
The number of patients admitted
from 1897 to September 30th, 1898, was
1866, of whom ,32:;3 died and 2,674
were discharged, leaving as reported
now, 659.
Causes of death-Apoplexy ., diar-
rhoea ), dysentery 3, epilepsy 6, erysip-
elias l, gangrene l, general paralysis 3,
heart disease I, injuries from fall /,
maniacal exhaustion /, marasmus /,
nervous prosJation /, senile exhaus-
ton 3, paralysis l, phthsisjs pulmonais
i, septic pyaemia l, scald from explo-
sion of boiler l.
One died after % years residence in
the asylum, TWO of 30 years, one 81,
one 26, and one 25.-.S'auntoa News.
Opening and Closing Of the Mails.
Northern mails close at 30 and 8 so a, m
and II SO, 6 so and s 45 p. m. Open al
90 Il. M, II 90 III. and 6 30p m.
Southwestern mails via Charlottesville
close at 80 and II 90 a. m. and 40 p
M. Open at S 90 a. M and 3 00p. m.
Chesapeake and Ohio mails close at 1 sc
4 OInI1n NJ s 90 rr,I