The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-03
PEOPLE WHO 60 CRAZY.
Causes of Insanity and the Care o,
Those az the state Lunatio Asylum.

! Causes of insanity and the Care Of
Those 81 the State Lunatic Asylum
Judge Hampton L. Ferrin OF the court
Of ordinary has just received a copy OF the
annual report Of the board OF trustees and
other officers Of the state lunatic asylum
at Milledgeville. covering a period, how
ever, Of only eleven months. owing to
some change that has been made in the
time Of holding the annual meetings. The
report covers the eleven months ending
Sept. /, 1884
The expenses Of the asylum for that
period were SIS. 59s.s5. The average num-
Der Of patients in the asylum, white and
colored, during the eleven months was
100, and the cost per capita for maintain
ing them was s10s.e0. or g. 4S cents per day.
The work of building a new asylum for
white patients to the number OF 500 and
annexes for go colored patients, with din
ing rooms TO accommodate 40 patients, is
progressing favorable. The legislature APP
propriated two years ago 100000 for this
purpose, and the new buildings are 10 be
completed Oct. ], 1895, when greatly in
creased accommodations will be afforded.
Ihere are great many persons in diff
ferent parts of the state who have been
AAAoctE UttA LllE Ift-A AAEA NOAA-
dition Of the asylum has made It impos-
sible for the state to accommodate them
there
The number Of white patients there
Sept. !, 1894, was 1.2J4, classified as fol-
lows as shown by superintendent T. o.
Powelfs report: White male lunatics, 476;
white male epileptics 81; white male idiot,
z; white female lunatics, SOS; white female
epileptics, SO, and white female idiots, 20.
OF the colored patients there were 539, as
follows Male lunatics, 2l0; female lun-
atics, 26S; male epleptics. 80; female cpl
lepties, 10; male idiots, s, and female idiots,
3.
The report shows that female lunatics
are slightly in excess of male lunatics.
that the majority of those sent
there are between the ages of %
and IS years, that there are com
paratively few colored idiots, that the
occupations Of the majority of those sent
there during the year were those of farm
ers, and those engaged in household du-
ties and that the most frequent causes of
insanity seem to be i'll health, domestic
troubles, epilepsy and hereditary.
During the year 255 white patients were
admitted, 60 of whom were farmers, and
81 of whom were engaged in household
duties. Those who went crazy because
they had no occupation numbered 30, while
there was only one journalist, one lawyer
one doctor, one temperance worker, one
preacher, one postmaster, one insurance
agent and one school boy, all of which oc-
equations were supposed heretofore to
have been conducive to mental alteration.
One drummer and one saloon keeper found
their way there, and so did two railroad
men, two tailors and five merchants. OF
this number "a had hereditary troubles, %
became demented from i'll health, 10 were
unable to get along peacefully at home,
and p were epileptics. Other frequent
causes are blows on the head, catarrh,
change of life, religious excitement which
affected nine of them, grief, old age and
mental exhaustion.
OF the colored patients 116 were received
during the year, and of this number We're
cooks, farmers, Is farm hands, as labor
ers had no work at all, two were preach
ers, / a school teacher, l a well digger
and another a washerwoman, probably
unpaid The occupation of a great many
of the patients received is unknown and
hence is not given. The most frequent
cause of insanity among the colored peo~
pie seems to be epilepsy, while other
causes are blows on the head, change
of life, financial trouble, grief and re-
lgious excitement Very few colored peo-
pie seem to go crazy over their domestic
troubles, and there are likewise few who
become demented from hereditary trou-
bles.
DR.. Powell calls attention to the fact
that the institution is overcrowded, which
has to a large extent destroyed the original
aim of the male and female GONZALES
cent buildings, which was to provide bet
ter facilities for the care, treatment and
recovery of the most hopeful cases.