New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-04-21
STATE CAPE or THE INSANE.

Some interesting figures concerning the cost
Of the present system Of state care or the III
sane and lis advantages over the OLD method
have been compiled by Mr.. Goodwin Brown. or
the State Commission in Lunacy, at the request
of Senator Parsons and, after having been
submitted TO tho Monroe County Supervisors
are published by the state. They JUSTIFY the
hopes Of those who led the movement to aDo
lsli the county nsyums, with their poor equip
mcnt and inadequate supervision and TO IN
sure for the insane enlightened treatment and
proLcr care under uniform and systematic regu
lations.
Commissioner Brown reports that for the
year ending September 30, 1896, the last year
for which the results have been complied the
ordinary expense for each patient was SlSG cS
or So JS n week. This sum includes all cost
of maintenance Of the hospitals, medical 1T
tendance. salaries Of officers and nurses,
board. clothing. light. fuel. cost OF conveying
from home to hospital, renewal OF furniture
and all expenses other than for building or
extraordinary repairs. Medical services and
officers salaries amount 10 % cents week, or
sl1 Al n year; wages OF attendants md nurses
and general employees, to 81 Is week, or
SG3 90 n year: food and laundry supplies. crock
cry tableware, etc, to 81 20 4 week. or SCI 40
n wear: clothing for patients TO 81 cents n week,
or SO % year.
These figures Commissioner Brown Is appar-
entity justified IN regarding rs evidence Of
economy and good management Medical ser
vice in the hospitals is OF a special order and
the patients require great deal of such ser
vice. both for body and mind. as many of
them are physical az well as mental invalds.
hospitals. or nm average of one 70 each 1877 pa
tents the outlay for physicians Is certainly
reasonable nurse Is employed FOR every
eight or nine persons, and since physical re-
stralnt. strapplng to chairs and solitary con-
flncmcnt have been abolished the number Of
attendants could not be reduced. The good
effect Of this manner OF treatment has been so
marked as to make the thought of any retro
erosion not one to De entertained. The shcr-
IFS In this State draw from 81 10 10 81 week
for board Of prisoners The hospital figure OF
81 20 for board and something more is therefore
10 be regarded rs low. The same may be said
Of the clothing tom. Under the old county sys-
ten Il IS estimated that from $4,000 to $4,000
n year was spent for transportation. mileage
and fees being charged by officers who took
PATIENTS to hospitals Last year only $4,000
was expended for this service. II Is natural 10
expect the average cost OF maintenance in the
hospitals to be- larger than IN some other IN
sttutlons. because the patients are for the most
part unable 10 work: but the efficiency Of the
state authorities Is apparent from the decrease
In average cost from $2lG IN 1893. the year
before expenditures were allowed In advance
by the Commission. to the present average Of
$lSG g.
State care has also increased the number Of
cures In the Monroe County Asylum In 1890
the proportion OF rccoverics was only lOil per
cent As a State hospital the next year the in
stitutlon cured Is per cent: in 1892 II per cent:
in 1893, 1s per cent; in 1894, - per cent; in
1898. u per cent; in 1896. % per cent. and in
1891. Is per cent. Other hospitals likewise
show more cures, and this means not only Il
gain for humanity, but an actual relief to the
taxpayers. AS the average life of an insane
person IL twelve years after commitment, the
transformation of all the hospitals into places
of successful treatment, that about 800
patients are discharged annually rs entirely
cured or much improved. means n large saving
to the State Tho item for of the insane
looks large in the Stare budget but when It Is
remembered that for the most part II Is only
the consolidation IN n lump Of Items which the
same people formerly taxed themselves for In
the counties, and that 1t Is spent more wisely
and with better results than ever before no
taxpayer Will b,srudgc the 81 10 he pays on his
thousand-doar assessment.