The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-01-11

result OF tertiary syphilis; in four, old
age and general debility; in one, alb
cess of the lungs; in one, cholera NOR
bus; in one liberation of the bowels;
in one, seniie gangrene; in one, epilep-
tic sit; in one, typho-mania; and in two,
maniacal exhaustion. Four were in
the asylum from two to twenty days;
two. from twenty days to three
months; three, from three to six
months: and seven, from six months
to five years. The death rate has been
low, when we take into consideration
the class and condition of many of the
patients sent here, a large portion of
them being in the last stages of physi-
cal disease and decay, their mental all
ments often the result of bodily all
ments and debility. Old, decrept and
broken down, physically and mentally,
they are too often committed to the
asylum to get rid of the trouble of car
ing for them, rather than with any
hope for ultimate recovery. Four of
those received during the past year.
and who subsequently died, were in a
hopeless and dying condition when adj
mitted.''
RATE OF INCREASE.
The rate of increase was not as
large as had been expected but each
year the number of permanent charges
becomes greater. 1t is expected not
more than per cent. of the
present inmates will be cured. The
large proportion of the inmates are in
Wlat is called the prime of life. seven
pelng under 20 years, thirty between
~ and so, forty-nine between 80 and 40.
III ty-slx between 40 and so, twenty-six
between so and go and but twenty-one
ABOVE 90 years. There are fourteen
incompetent persons in the institution
wfso should not be there properly.
There are forty-three patients suffer-
ing from dementia in it's various forms.
seventeen from epilepsy, seven from
various forms of mania Most of the
cases are chronic, many of them of
years of duration.
Often these institutions, and those
in charge Of them, are the subjects of
severe censure by the general public,
because some one Of these cases, dis
charged as cured, is again attacked
ana mas to be again placed under re-
stra1nt These criticisms are very Of
ten very unjust, and the result of lack
OF information upon this subject upon
the part Of those that make them. A
patient may be just as surely cured of
an attack of insanity as of one of
rheumatism or govt, or any other
diathetic disease, but no assurance can
be given that there will not be a re-
currence under circumstances that fa-
Vor It's return, any more than in the
other forms of disease mentioned. vet
who would advocate the retention of
people in hospitals from fear that the
rheumatism, etc, might return, al
though true that one attack predispos-
es to another. 1t is true that an at
tack of insanity is fraught with more
danger to others, but it is also a ter
rible thing to CONTEMPLATE and to insist
upon, that because a person has one
or more attacks of insanity, he shall
for the rest of his natural life be de-
barred from the society of his fellow
man, and be practically buried alive
of sanity, yet this appears to be the
opinion of the persons who give ex-
pressions to such criticism"
THE FARM AND GARDEN.
The yield of the farm and garden for
the past year has been larger than
usual and the patients have been well
supplied with fresh vegetables. and the
saving effected was more than $1,000.
1t is recommended that more hay land
be purchased to meet the growing
needs of the stock The dairy has
earned $3.50 over and above expenses.
The water supply and fire system of
the institution is ample and satisfac-
tory.
An appropriation of ss5,2s4 is asked
for the next two years.
WHERE THE PATIENTS ARE
FROM.
Salt Lake leads in the number of
patients in the asylum, having &c, Utah
with 8, Summit s. Weber 5, Cache. Box
Elder and Juab each, Sanpete 8.
Emery, Sewer and Tooele each and
Washington 1. American patients ad-
mitted during the year number 81,
England 8, Denmark and Ireland 6
each, Sweden 6, Germany and Finland
4 each and Canada, China, Switzerland,
Wales and Russia 1 each.