The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-09
HITS A PET PRACTICE
REPORT OF THE INSANE ASYLUM
BOARD COMMITTEE IN VIM
QUIST CASE
MANAGEMENT NOT TO BLAME

But Occasion Is Taken to Question
the Wisdom of the Use of Phys
teal Restraint Such as Has Been
the boast of the St. Peter Asylum
Authorities Favor Mechanical
Restraint.
1t has long been the proud boast of
the st. Peter asylum authorities that
no mechanical means Of restraint Ia
ever used on any of the inmates of that
institution. In place of using mechan-
| zeal appliances on patient whom il
is necessary for his own sake to res
strain, physical restraint by the nurseg
mas been employed. This, it has been
claimed. was more humanitarian. Now
comes the committee which Investigate
ed the cause for the bruises on the
body Of Adolph Winquist and In its
report OF the investigation says it is
| a question in the minds of the COM
m1ttee whether 1T would not be better
| IL mild means Of mechanical restraint
We're used in certain cases. The com
n:1ttee says further that it believes
tpefe are two extremes in the use-of
restraint, too much mechanical re-
stra1nt Or the utter absence of it, This
| 1s the report submitted and approved
| at the meeting Of the board Of trustees
| held at the Ryan hotel yesterday:
10 the Board OF Trustees Of the Minnesota
state hospitals. Gentlemen: Your committee
| appointed to investigate the alleged ill-treat-
| ment OF Adolph WMquist at the St. Peter
| state hospital have to report the following:
Inc committee met at the St. Peter state
\ hospital Jan. 20, 1899. to take evidences there
were present at the session Messrs. John A.
aagman G. K. Skarnes and Andrew Ander-
neapolis which fled the complaint. and
Fritz Winquist. a brother OF the deceased
Incidentally it should be mentioned these
| gentlemen were shown through the hospital
| and Its methods explained to them They ex,,
pressed their surprise at the hospital routine
80 dinerent from their preconceived ideas, and
| volunteered their opinion that every precau-
! ton and care Ia shown necessary for the well
| fare OF the patients.
| Your committee examined all physicians
ana nurses OF the hospital who came In con-
| tact with the deceased, during his stay at
| the Institution. Their testimony Is made a
part of this report and also all other testi-
| mony taken In the case.
The examination was of an informal nature
| and the gentlemen referred to above were
given the privilege of and did question wit
nesses. The members of Nora lodge COM
mlttee appeared to bear no resentment toward
| the institution. but seemed to be fatr-minded
and only desired an explanation of how and
| from what cause the marks and bruises ap-
| peared on Winquist's body after DEATH and
| nade no specific allegations of Ill treatment
Your committee finds the following con-
| illusions. to wit:
! That the management, physicians and
| nurses OF the hospital are exonerated from
| any charge OF suspicious OF neglect In the
| care OF said Winquist.
| That said Winquist received every care and
| attention. and the best of treatment.
| =, From the evidence in this case 1t is ques-
| ton In the minds Of your committee whether
| 1t would not be better If mild means Of me-
cnanical restraint were used In certain cases.
1 The testimony showed that Winquist jumped
| from a window sill some distance to a bed
! thence to the floor. creeping under the bed
| and rolled around On the floor, and at times
dropping to the floor on his knees and elbows.
| ly clad in night clothes would receive
bruises and abrasions of the skin while $50
doing. 1t is apparent that 1T is almost i'm
possible for the nurses in charge to at all
| times give IA patient such attention as
would prevent him from doing so, owing to
/ the many similar duties they have to per-
| form.
| While 1t lis true that authorities differ as to
the question Of restraint, yet the prudent use
OF mechanical restraint in certain cases
seems to be favored by large majority.
Mechanical restraint is employed in mild
| form at both the Rochester and Fergus Falls
hospitals with excellent results, however,
only under the strictest supervision of the
medical staff. and only used when prescribed
| by II.
The hospital records show that there were
| marks Of bruises on Winquist's body when
! he was admitted, but it lis also true that he
sustained other bruises, which, without the
proper use of mechanical restraint, It would
| be almost impossible to prevent
Your committee cannot but believe that
| there are cases where mechanical restraint
| should be employed, as above stated. We
| also believe that there are two extremes in
the use Of restraint-too much mechanical
| restraint or the utter absence of it. 1t is
a matter for this board to determine what
its future policy in the manner Of restraint
shall be. 1t should be borne in mind that
| 1t takes from one to three nurses to restrain
a violent patient, by physical force, to keep
! him from injuring himself and others and
from destroying furniture and other property,
and he himself ,unavoidably resolves bruises
| in his efforts to lberate himself from those
! whom he considers trespassing lon his per-
| sonal rights and liberties.
| The welfare Of the patient is the one COIL
sideration to be constantly kept in view, and
your committee believes the best results are
| to be obtained when restraint is required as
| recommended above.
! All of which is respectfully submitted.
J The chief topic Of discussion at the
! meeting was the overcrowded condi-
ton of the three state asylums. In
the quarterly reports of the superin-
tendents of each institution the atten-
ton of the board was called to the
fact that every one of the hospitals
was taxed beyond it's capacity. At
presnt the state has 3,441 wards in the
three asylums. There are 1;10S patients
at Rochester, 1,210 at st. Peter and
1923 at Fergus Falls.
DR.. Tomlinson, Of st. Peter, reported