Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-11
REPORT ON 1H[ Insane
Dr. Hill Makes a Complete Re.
port On Condition Of His
Wards.
He Recommends That the Entire
Support Come From the
State.
The Telephone Monopolists Re.
ceived Body Blow In Judge
Prouty's Decision.
Special to Times-RepublicanL. {

Special to oTimes-Republican.
Il Des Moines. Sept. 1.-THE fifteenth
annual report of the hospital for the in.
sane at independence appears to be the
completest report ever presented from
any state institution. The work at Mt
Pleasant. the Oldest hospital Of the
state, was somewhat broken in upon by
the death Of the superintendent during
the year, and Clarinda is comparatively
new. DIR. Gershon II. Hill, of Independ-
.ence, has made his report to the board
OF CONTROL all that could be desired. He
SHOWS by exhaustive statistical tables
that the results reached at this hospital
are on par with those in the best hos
4 pltals for the insane In the country.
More than 5 per cent of the patients
admitted for the first time are cured
which, considering the fact that of the
tb8 received the past two years 20 were
\ AFFLICTED with incurable forms of insan
ity, is good record to be made. The
STATISTICAL tables accompanying the re-
port show some things which indicate in
a general way what can be done for
the mentally sick persons of the state.
The time 1t takes to effect cure, where
4 a cure is possible, varies. For instance.
two were cured in less than one month,
thirteen In less than two months. tt1ir-
| ty-two in !ess than three months. and
s'eventy-six in less than six months.
This Is nearly half of all who are cured
| at ALL But nineteen We're reported
cured in one year, six in two years, four
in three years, and one in ten years.
This is the record Of this hospital for
the past two years. and 1t may be taken
as fairly representative of all the state
hospitals AS rule, then. cures are
unusualrafter one year.
The proportion of native born patients
is steadily increasing, and now five
sevenths of the entire number at Inde-
pendence We're born in the United
States. Twenty years ago only one-
tenth of the inmates We're natives Of
Iowa, and now one sixth We're born in
this state. There were 1,050 patients In
the hospital at the beginning of the per-
iod and LOAF at the close. The number of
males increased thirty and the number
| of females decreased thirty seven.
There were absent on parole June 30
last total of thirty-one. The hospital
now receives from only thirty-nine
counties. whereas it formerly received
from fifty-five. In the two years six
have been received from the Soldiers
Home. and four convicts from Anamo-
sa. From county asylums thirty seven
were received, and seven from st. JOS
eph's hospital at Dubuque. There were
paroled and discharged total of 273.
Twenty five escaped and We're marked
discharged. There has never been an
| Indian or Chinaman at the hospital. One
negro was received the past year and
there are three there now. The patients
are treated as sick persons. but at the
same time as many as possible are kept
at some healthful occupations. One
| third of the men assist in ward work
and another third are employed in the
kitchen. in shops or on the farm. OF the
females, 10 per cent assist in sewing,
ETC., and 20 per cent are employed in the
kitchen or elsewhere. The women some
times assist in the outdoor work, as in
strawberry picking time. In regard to
the support of the patients at the hos
! pital DR.. Hill includes a suggestion of
approval of the plan to have the entire
support come direct from the state, and
the state to secure reimbursement
from the counties by taxation. OF the
whole number of 1878 at the hospital
the past two years. 1853 were supported
by the counties. ninety-nine- by the
state and 100 by themselves or relatives
Investigation and inquiry from county
auditors show that not to exceed per
cent of all the patients are self-support-
ing, or there Is Is reimbursement for the
public treasury for them. A training
school for nurses Is maintained at this
hospital. 1t was opened in October.
1883, and twenty women and four men
graduated in April, 1892. The tenth
class was turned out last May and the
total was brought up to 139 BY reason
of this policy Of training nurses for the
work there is better and more humane
treatment of insane persons.
The decision of Judge Prouty in the
district court here yesterday afternoon
in the celebrated telephone case involv-
ing the right of the old or Bell. tele-
phone company to use the streets of Des
Molnes without asking the consent of
Des Moines people, was q tbody blow to
the contentious of the telephone mo-
nopolists. II the Prouty decision stands
the city will be relieved of a great bur-
den, and other cities OF the state will be
able to maintain their rights in the
matter Of franchises for telephone COM
panies. The question turned on the
meaning of the word highway" as used
IL: the statutes providing for the use of
highways by telephone companies. The 4
code contained definition of highways.
and this makes the word mean practi-
cally country road Judge Prouty in
his written decision said:
This statute was in force defining
Highways at the time OF the enactment
OF the section under consideration and
it must be presumed that when the leg
islatpre used the words the public high
ways of the state 1t must have used
the words with direct reference to the
statutory definition then upon the stat /
ute book. That is to say. they (the leg
islators) must have given to the tele-
phone and telegraph companies the
right to use public bridges, county
ways. county roads. common ways,
common roads and state roads / feel
that this court IL bound: 10 accept she