The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-01

full labor thus obtained The combina-
ton of hospital for the treatment of
the acute insane and asylum for the
incurables, must tend to disturb that
condition of quiet which is the best for
those whose cure Is impossible. 1t Is
probable, also, that more care can be
given to the individual inmate where
the number is comparatively small
than where the number ranges about
the one thousand mark. DR.. Lane, an
eminent alienist connected with the
Boston insane hospital, who visited the
Manitowoc asylum, was especially
struck by the freedom enjoyed by the
inmates, "a great deal more,' he writes,
than should dare to give the class I
am accustomed to see." Another adj
vantage possessed by the county asy-
lum, and one not to be overlooked in
considering the humanitarian side Of
the question, Is the proximity of the
local inmates to their friends and rel
atives, admitting of frequent visits by
the latter. During September / made
several visits to this asylum. I found
men among the inmates quite gener-
ally employed, some about the barns,
others in the fields, while others wan
dered about the grounds, labor not be-
Ing compulsory. Except as to one
woman. crazed by religious excitement.
who
Proved her doctrine othodox
With apostolic blows and knocks"
there was no enforced restraint, al
though the range of some was kept
within the limits Of fenced enclosure.
Hardly day passed in which no one
related to or acquainted with some
inmate, visited the asylum.
COMPARISON OF COST.
While the persons who have to de-
fray the expenses of caring for the in
sane undoubtedly wish that care to
be generous, still the question of cost
is an important one, especially in view
OF the inherent disposition of all in
sututlonalism to expand, and to con-
sioer the luXuries of one year the neces-
stiles of the next If the same degree
of good care can. be attained at less
cost by some other system than that
employed now the taxpayers who pro-
Vlded the means have a right to de-
mand an investigation and. if the fact
OF less cost is established, to have it
adopted
The net current expenditures made
LOT support OF our state insane, for the
year ending July, 81, 1885, average S15S.-
u Tor each inmate, which is S29 less
than for the year 1885, This covers the
cest for food, clothing, fuel, lights and
attendance, with some minor items of
expense including repairs Let US see
what TINS means when applied to those
engaged In industrial vocations. The
average family consists of five per-
sons, three of whom are children.
counting two children as one adult we
nave three and a half adults forming
the FAMILY. Allowing them the same
sum Tor the same items of support
Whlch make up the average cost for
our insane, but allowing for rent the
amount assigned for attendance, we
nave total cost per family Of 1858. If
we deduct from the 41773S persons
round by the census of 1886 to be en-
gagged In occupations, the 44,244 includ-
ed IN the classes professional. mer-
chants. manufacturers and retired. we
nave 373,494 persons, the income of the
great majority of whom must be be-
low the sum required for the support
OF family based upon the same head
cost incurred by the state in support
OF It's insane. 1t would seem to follow
that the state provides better for its
wards than the majority of the workers
OF the state can for their families.
while. as we have seen there is an
absolute decrease in the head cost of
supporting our insane, there is a con-
tlnuai increase of total cost both abso-
lutte and relative, owing, of course. to
The constant Increase of the number of
insane. and the greater proportionate
~ Se's'S eo SOlli pdl0u Win CnaC OF DOD-
uiatlon. The average annual increase
in number of insane is rs per cent,
While that of population is about
per cent. For the twenty years 1877
80. the annual rate averaged 6 per cent
but these included the boom years.
Between the federal census of 1890 and
the state census of 1895 the annual rate
was per cent. The percentage Of alb
solute cost of support, as indicated by
the amounts expended, increases at a
greater rate than the number of those
upon whom it is spent, or of those
who provide the money. While the
percentage of increase of insane is rs.
that of the increase of cost is II, while
the cost, measured by population stead
lily enlarges. This will appear more
plainly in the following table which
gives the period covered, the total
cost of support in each-not including
cost OF buildings-the percentage of in
crease in cost, the increase of popu-
lation and the cost per head of popula-
ton: