Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-09
RECONNAISSANCE
Judge Kinne Returns From Trip Of
investigation.
FINDSCONDITIONsBAD IN MANY CASES.
Some Extreme Instances Are Cited
Detailed Report to be Made BY
the Board of Control to
khe Legislatures

l . 'SsO ASSDAsAsssssANN
Des Moines, Nov. 3.-Judge L. G.
Kline returned Wednesday from q
weeks visit to dozen different asy-
lums maintained for the care of the in
sane. The law requires the board Of
control to visit, annually, such institu-
tons as. care for the insane, but are
not under the jurisdiction of the board,
and to report to the legislature on it.
Judge Kline brings back some fright
fultales of neglect and cruelty at soma
of the institutions, but some others he
reports to be caring for the wards of
the public as well, probably, as it is
possible to have them cared for outside
the state institutions.
In one institution" said Judge
Kline, Il found a patient chained
to the wall. The person was con-
fined in a room and was chained to
to the wall to prevent escape, perhaps.
In another institution found a man
and wife attempting to cook and care
for seventy people, insane and paupers.
They received $50 a month between
them for the, work. In one institution
found the insane and the paupers in
the same building, the only division be-
| ing partition in hall made of the
cover of a dry goods box. In one place
found zinc bath tub in a room with
out a window or transom over the
door. The water to supply this tub
had TO be carried from a well across
| the road and if warmed had to be-
heated on a stove and carried up
stairway. In one place found an av-
erage of three people bathing in the
same water. sifa
"These are merely samples OF some
of the horrible things saw" said the
judge. II do not want to name the in.
stitutions where saw these things un-
til / name them in our report. The
facts will there be presented in detail.
should say that of the eleven or
twelye' places visited some of them
were kept in reasonably good condition
and the care was intelligently admins
tered TO the inmates"
1t is well known that the board is not
friendly to the plan Of county care for
the insane. ALI three members are of
the opinion that il the state is to main
tain large and expensive homes for the
insane, there ought to be a requirement.
that the insane be kept in them. Yet
the facts are that over 200 insane per-
sons are maintained in the county asy-
lums or poor farms of the state, and
that 400 more are in the private institu-
tions.
Its uncertain as yet what the board
will recommend to the legislature as to
the future conduct Of these institutions.
The question is hard one for the
board to handle. 1t would be useless
to make recommendations which could
not possibly be enacted into law and
would only result in the defeat and dis
comfiture Of the board. There are In
sane asylums in something like one
third of the counties of the state.
twenty-five of them are reporting TO
the board, and tits known there are a
number of others, not reporting.
In only two or three cases were the
institutions found to be even fairly sup
piled with help; all the others were in
bad condition in this regard. None of
them have attendants experienced in
the care of the insane or the treat
ment of nervous or mental diff
culties. In only one institution were
am. trained nurses to be found, and
these were experts in the care Of in
sane.
1t is understood that Polk and Des
MONIES counties are credited with hav-
ing about the most creditable institu-
tons in the state. The visits were made
without any previous announcements,
and it is possible that the reports will
be all the more interesting on account
of this fact.
| In a large proportion of cases the in
sane asylums are in connection with
the poor farms. In Polk, Benton, Mus
catine, Louisa and Tama counties,
Judge Kline found separate buildings
provided for the paupers and the in-
sane. In Des Moines county the pau
pers and insane are kept in separate.
buildings, though the structures are
connected. In Lee the two classes OF
inmates are kept in different parts of
the same structures, while in Van
Buren, again they are kept in different
buildings, near together, and the struc-
lures being connected. Jefferson has
part of a building set apart for insane
and part for the poor, and Wapello has
a like arrangement. S
! Careful supervision Of the county in
Tstitutions by the board, with authority
to reform abuses found to exist, is con-
sidered as much as can be accomplished
at this time, and it is expected the
boards recommendation to the legisla-
ture will be in this line.