The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-09-21
COMMISSION OSNuSACY.
Dr. Down Explains Why such boay |"
 Desirable.

Dcstfhblts
 From tho Hartford Pestl
 Medical and political circles both re- gard with particular interest the pro- feet Of bringing before the coming leg islnture e bill to establish commis- sion on lunacy. A similar bill was drafted by Dr. Edwin A. Down, Of the Retreat for tho Jnsansb and said before tho present legislature, but owing to the enormous amount of work before that body no action was taken regarding It, The bill which will be submitted to the legislature early in the coming winter will be largely modified from the old i one. It will be advocated in committee by Dr. Down and specialists of the Re- treat and of the State Hospital for the Insane in Middletown. and probably by | members of the state board of chari- ties. There are specialists who wish election to the house mainly for the reason that they may further reforms In the laws regarding the insane, and of these reforms the establishing or n commission in lunacy Is accounted the one most called for.
 | Such n commission, if established, would have It's headquarters In a de- partmental room In the Capitol, where literature and records concerning the insane of the state and the laws re- garding insanity would be of easy &C., cess to the public.
 l hA ni,, It,tt nf ha mi CTS might be classified into three divi- sions:
 First, the general supervision of the State Hospital and of the private in- sane asylums. including the issuing and the revoking of permits; second, the ap- pointment of examiners in lunacy,' and third the power to return to his home in any other state or country any insane person not resident of the state before his commitment whose l retention Is detrimental to the institu- ton in which he is confined.
 Regarding the first of these divisions 1t should be said that there exists mo- body having real supervision of the states insane institutions The board of charities has some misty jurisdic- tion, but it is inadequate and of little real value. There Is nobody with pow CT to issue or revoke permits A pri- vate asylum or home" or sanitarium,
 may start up without any suitable re-
 striction or penalty beyond what moral
 influence the visit of members of the
 board of charities may convey. That
 such state of affairs is dangerous
 goes without saying. That no private . asylum has as'yet furnished conspic- uous case of abuse is due to the uni form high character of the asylum and
 to provision on the part of legislators , With regard to the second of the di , visions, the appointment of examiners in lunacy," pr. Down said yesterday f T would favor the appointment o
 one or more examiners for each towr 9 In Connecticut. They should be resi- , dents of the town and should qualify s by passing an examination before thu , commission. They should charge fol fees only what physicians charge wh' , are employed under the existing lav l by selec;men or judges of probate They should not charge cent for trav l. cling expenses. Their duty should b o the examination as to sanity of al a persons whom the selectmen or judg V of probate shall direct them to exam a inc. By virtue of their residence il @ their towns they are likely to know thu l. family history of the suspects and b, S virtue of their qualification before thu :. state commission in lunacy they be come specialists. They should be su t perior to the ordinary practitioner chosen by the magistrates without mo- f tice under the present law"
 The third point, the returning to his . home in another state or country of ar f inmate detrimental to his institution
 or one whom for any good cause the au
 thorities wish to remove, is matter
 which explains itself. The point is in
 sufficiently covered by existing laws notwithstanding it's importance. Thirty years ago but four per cent ? of the insane were of foreign born pa.
 rents. Now thirty-nine per cent. of the insane are of such parents Accord.
 ing to the census of 1890 the state con.
 tained 2,056 registered as insane per
 sons. This was one person out of 362
 In 1880 Connecticut had 1,725 registered
 insane persons, or one out of S61.