The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-01-20

of convict patients, $1,000 additional for
the support of State INDECENT patients
and $50, 900 for the erection Of an inflrm-
AIRY.
The amounts which the State will be
required to appropriate if the recommen-
dations to the Legislature are adopted,
are as follows
For annual inventory ........ rs 90
For support and clothing of in
sane convicts .................. 9,000 w
For support of State INDECENT pa 40 -
Fe elen Salaries Of Officers 1S S'oOo % o.
For allowance of 81 per week for
each county patient .......... $4,000 90
sla7.e75 90
The balance of the amount needed for
the conduct of the institution will come
from the counties comprising the dis
trict.
At the close of the year there were in
the hospital Lis patients, which exceeds
by 221 the number of patients which the
buildings now in use were erected to ac-
c~ommodate. Eleven hundred bodies in
a space intended for $40, which is the
case at our hospital say the managers,
amounts almost to criminal negligence.
TIL board has power to protest, but no
power of relief. Where must this respon-
sibility rest? The board declines to as
sumo it. One recommendation which
will greatly relieve the institution your
board can make, and it is in the direction
of an infirmary, suggested by DR.. Ward,
the medical director, this building to be
used exclusively for the aged, the infirm
and the paralytic, and to be constructed
to accommodate 800 PATIENTS 1t is for
this building that the sum of $50, 900 is
recommended.
The general health of the institution
has been excellent during the year; there
has been no epidemic of any kind and
there have been no acute diseases of a
serious nature. The death rate, however,
has been considerably above the average,
the number of deaths for the year having
been 81; of these 81 were of men and 40
of women. 1t is a noticeable fact that
80 were over the age of 65 years and of
this number 20 had passed their 10Th year
and Il had been patients in the hospital
for a period of over 20 years.
The total number of patients under
care in the institution during the year
was 1s339-676 men and 663 women; the
number discharged as cured or improved,
220-120 men and SO demonstrating un-
der treatment at the close of the fiscal
year. Liz; of these 800 were men and
564 women. This is an increase of AS
over the number under care at the close
of the last fiscal year, when the number
of patients remaining in the hospital was
LOU. In 1896 the number was LOCO and
in 1896 1t was LOCI, showing a marked
and steady increase of patients yearly,
Notwithstanding the division of the State
into two system districts, the erection of
the hospital at Morris Plains and the es-
adjustment of numerous county asylums
where the insane are cared for.
Speaking further upon the over-crowd-
ed condition, the report says
I'm connection with the overcrowded
condition of the institution, the board
has, to some extent, considered the mat
ter of the ACCESSIBILITY Of the erection of
dornitories for the use of the nurses and
attendants. AT the present time (andSAsn
fact, since the organization of the hos
pitaD, the nurses and attendants are
lodged in the hospital buildings; this ne
cessarily deprives the board of the use
of considerable space which should be APP
piled for the accommodation of patients,
but ii also prevents the adoption of what
is now deemed to be the most correct and
satisfactory system for the employment
and the proper attention to duty on the
part of the attendants. In many, if not
in all, of the large hospitals for the in
sane in Europe, the removal of the resi-
dence of the attendants from the hospital
buildings proper has become an establish
ed part of the system, and such attend
ants are only in the hospital buildings
during the hours they are actually on
duty; the adoption of this plan the board
conceives would conduce greatly to the
benefit of the patients and would insure
that undivided attention from the attend
ants which we deem to be absolutely re-
quisite. both during the day and night.
Again, the rooms now occupied by these
attendants could be utilized for the ae-
-commodati0n of patients, and a moder-
ate estimate would place the gain of
room accommodation at IS beds for pa
tents in the hospital buildings. 1t is the
belief of the board that this important
improvement can be made by the board
without calling for an appropriation from
The asylum district consists of the
COUNTIES below Somerset. OF the 26S pa
TENTS received al the institution during
This was the largest number from any
one county. Fifty-two Of this number
were INDECENT PATIENTS committed by the
Board of FreeholderS; s were private and
! was a criminal patient, The others were
divided among the following countless
Atlantic, 8 INDECENT; Bergen, private;
Burlington, is INDECENT, 4 private and i
criminal; Camden, l6 INDECENT, 2 private
and / state; Cape May, 6 INDECENT and 2
private; Cumberland, is INDECENT, 3 private
3 state; Gloucester, IL INDECENT, l private;
Hudson, 3 private; Hunterdon, % INDECENT,
2 private, l state; Middlesex, 80 INDECENT, 5
private, l state; Monmouth, 16 INDECENT, 4
private, 2 state; Ocean, 3 INDECENT, / pri-
yate; Salem, 5 INDECENT, ! private; Somer-
set, Il INDECENT, ! private, 3 state; Union,
l private.
THE alleged causes Of the insanity of
those committed during the year were as
follows:-General i'll health. 40; domestic
affIiction, Is; domestic troubles, s.; loss of
property, business troubles, etc. 10; over
work, anxiety, loss of sleep, 20; puerpe-
raj state, s.; old age, 16; epilepsy, 10; vi
cious habits and indulgences, IL; specific
diseases, 7; intemperance in the use of
alcohol, IS; sunstroke, heat exhaustion,
etc, 10; injury to head, II. congenital, 4;
disappointed affections, IL; mepopause, 8;
opium habit, 8; excessive use Of tobacco,
cigarette smoking, 8; fright, 1; spiritual
ism, /: menstrual troubles, 5; unknown.
AZ.
In IA cases (32 men and a. women) Of
those admitted during the year there was
acknowledged hereditary -predisposition
IIAA <EtE - ~ -