The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-21
Suitable Care OF
the States Insane

m II. B. II. DETWILER, of Will
Transport, for twenty-five years
III a trustee of the Danvlle asylum
~ and one of the hest known au-
thorities on matters pertaining to the
care OF the insane has in an interview
published in the Philadelphia Inquirer
cited some interesting facts. For in
stance; THE state hospitals on oct. /,
1897, held ,50l patients above their legi-
Innate capacity. out of a total of TO-
OPS insane in the state there were on
Sept. 30, 1897, 6,SS6 in the state hospitals,
~ in the Asylum for Chronic Insane,
1851 in county and municipal aims
houses and 81 in state penitentiaries
and county jails. OF course, a large
proportion of those cases treated in
almshouses were in institutions like
Blockley and Hillside, near Scranton,
which are very well fitted for the care
and treatment of the insane; but many
OF them were in places entirely unfit
to administer to the necessities of even
chronic cases, and totally inadequate
in their provisions to treat the acute
durable insane. In consideration OF the
fact that the state hospitals were be-
coming more and more crowded, and
the wards were being rendered entire
ly unfit for either the care or treatment
of the insane, the trustees of these in
stitutions. with one exception, have
limited the admission to certain classes,
viz: the violent, dangerous and acute
ly insane. This action was, doubtless,
the result of the sacred trust reposed
in the boards by the commonwealth,
in giving them authority TO care for
the various institutions-the authority
carrying with it an obligation to give
the best hygenic surroundings for the
restoration of the durable cases, and.
at least, safe and humane care for the
chronic cases, and consequently the
hospitals of the state, with the eXcep-
tion of Norrstown, can no longer be
counted upon to receive all cases of in
sanity, as has been done hitherto. The
conditions, therefore, which meet us
everywhere, are: Crowded institutions,
closed doors. except to a few; aggre-
cation of insane in poorhouses and
other places unfit for their care, and
lack Of that humane treatment which
every state owes to its insane wards.
ITO meet the conditions as described
several suggestions have been made.
acted by our legislature for county
and local care Of the chronic insane.
the so-called Wisconsin system. This
system, when fully developed, will un-
doubtedly bring some amelioration of
the present difficulties In the period
of two years which has elapsed since
the passage of this act it has accom-
plished but little and for the Danville
gfYi, ,
and it may be safely stated, further
more, that the immediate future, for
which provision must be made, will
not be relieved by any great extension
of the Wisconsin system. In the sec
ond place, an institution has been rec
commended for the epileptics and one
for the criminal insane. If the former
were to be erected and it removed all
the epileptics from the state hospitals
the relief would be but 500. The sug-
gestion to construct an institution for
the criminal insane and insane con-
Victs-if both classes We're taken
would remove PSI from the state hos
pitfalls and a small number from the
penitentiaries. The relief, as may be
clearly seen in both these cases, would
be very slight: hardly worth consider
ing. Another suggestion made to re-
lieve the crowded condition is the con-
struction of a new hospital, which
shall, for its district. take certain coun-
ties from several of the present dis
tricts of the state. If it is to be con-
structed for 1000 patients an appropri-
alton of something like 100000 will be
necessary, three or four years will be
required for its construction, and be-
fore ;tc CompIatiOn there will he n sur-
plus over that of the present time suf-
ficient to more than fill the new build
ing. No immediate relief could, there
fore. be hoped for from a move of this
kind
O
ANY system, to be satisfactory must
L. Il.