The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-01-26

ne PHYSICIAN TO $50 patients. while In the
one y, nas ,.a asylums Il is rarely more than
| - ,IGS 80, and sometimes as low as one
~ Vv patients. In addition Texas has no
pi a c,sglst on the medical sian TO assist
Of or n gnnheal study with an accurate finding
clahs In our asyluns arc occunied ~, their
~ aAing hours IN the routine visitation OF
she SICK and frequently MANY oh their
Ips SPns hours IN their care q the. epIlepiic
s sinaa reflection, and how can the hest scien
tine results be obtainedY
| In tneh our Texas Institutions are limited
i ~ tntF employment and occupation of
ddue lhsane to a modicum Of farm and gar
enh a work to laundry and household labor.
I icnI 20 q very limited number Of mechan.
| isal applications, what can be done in the
broad domain OF psychNai therapy?
yIrn,. Eastern institutions. notably New
a. s'Lh' tue ratio OF attendants to the insane
| 49, ynf attendant to five or seven patients;
| Vsn ~ one violent ward iu Illinois last
iear ! personally saw five attendants min
| hnsrdu 70 SIX patients-a condition I'M
| tntInn Vi ana impossible In Texas ipsu-
iiu ~ IN our State the ratio is never
..Yss than one attendant to fourteen pn.
o eients, and frequently one 10 twenty. In
| ~ sI EtVs' violent wards We have from fifty
| 70 sAtH-hYe patients, with only three TO
.Snr attendants. In better wards where
sne parents are more outlet but sometimes
tenGonttss ' " S.i, we have only two at
i rnon.sahts 10 nfty and sixty patients. This
,,nsuIhclent help Is not only confined TO the
n assnv WARDS nut is prevalent in other de-
inFrnn'u,nIs OF our institutions. and 1t Is not
Ihlrequent that wards where tho lnsnne
leu me attendants they are frequently
ueprlved Of them TO do other necessary
s Worh about the institution. in spite OF the
VsLhest appeals made at every session Of
ne legislature by the superintendepts for
this additional help
.t agsain. our asylum employees not being
ssaLutory positions. but subject to legis.
| latlve appropriations every two wears. and
ttIequenty changed, there Is no Incentive
tDoi GTinllnnons service, and no ambition for
tha " iabos ana education, IN what is now only
o nse iaoor put which should be also the
. .rt OF caring for the Insane Let the posi-
y,ons DC made permanent and the scale Of
and Jennie and adequate to the duty
t rmu responsibility required and lmmediate
Improvement In the service will be marked,
=, IL may be said In this connection that
n rnr pqnlfal domination Of our eeemosy-
go asg INSTITUTIONS, should cease. once and
aoIsVer. That the management officials
anu employees, should be chosen for sneclni
n,,t aud after special training and with.
9ul regard 10 political changes and not
Slstlrhed except for cause and that cause
~ s matIsashhee or nonfcasance In office
Sn!yy. How absurd and horrlfylng to our
oetter instincts is the idea Of completely
nnanglng asylum officers and employees
upon every changer Of the political windsl
I'll an asylum, above all public institutions
Mhen properly regulated Is like a delicate
piece Of machinery, and violent Interior
ehce with its movements can have nothing
o oSs 9anefgl influence. Insane people are
tneclea with various idiosyncraclos OF
thought, word and manner, and they are
sensitive to the slightest changes in their
n ynd ana treatment, and the State should
iHake provision that this care should he Of
me highest efficiency and shouId ca fer
the service. "
With the elimination OF politics fron, our
eleemosynary institutions and with ado
quate protection against abuses, the great
~ advanced step ever made In Texas in
s sneIr nm management ag VIII have been taken,
eIeemosynary system will be lust cause
Tor continuous pride and satisfaction.
oo,i would also be valuable IL the public
could thoroughly understand aud appre-
elate mat there are certain limitations In
~ tse caIe ana treatment Of the insane, and
c .aa no institution, however Well equipped,
can accomplish the impossible
In the first place our hospitals for the
insane, should not be kindergnrtens for the
,TEahIe and schooling of imbecile children.
emphasized In the annual reports of Dr..
Terrell Institutions 'N
In the second place, II should be under
Stood by everybody that diocy is a hope
less mental defect, and that no man9ge-
ment or treatment offers the slightest hope
or any Improvement In the mind Yet.
Idiots are committed to the public asviuns
and Information is frequently requested as
20 thelr Improvement and when they may
1t should also be understood that danger.
Gus and violent lunatlcs who canpot be
controlled at home. and who are sent 10
tue various INSTITUTIONS Tor their own and
lhe pubic satety, must be there controlled
and restrained. And, II absolutely neces-
Sary, this must be done by force. 1t is
also true that prolonged efforts at forcIhie
feeding and necessary confinement 10 nre-
serve the life of those who will not eat. and
that their complaints at SUCH methods
snouiu NOT arouse dire suspicion in the
minds OF friends, that they are roughly
handled.
It should be understood once for oil. by
the public, that much OF the work about
rl1nc hn .t,.
patients, that IL IL not only an economic
necessity but that IL is an absolute and i'm.
peratiye need OF the patients themselves,
anu that In no institution is there SUBTLE.
lent work 10 engage the faculties Of tho
different patients to their best advantage
Those patients who work, who do something
emit functions OF the body are the best OFF
mentally and physically. They eat better,
they sleep better, they improve more rap
age. That the work OF an insane instl-
tuition is neither mental nor burdensome.
and that the management always stand
pledged to proper supervision and careful
consideration of all these methods of treat
meut and that their Judgment should be
followed
Among our limitations It should be added
for the benefit OF the public officials anx-
ious to secure accommodations for the In
sane of their counties. that our institu-
tions are all oyer-crowded. Some OF them
TO the danger point aud that we cannot
accommodate new or relapsing cases when
there is neither vacant bed nor a place
to put one.
Again, 1t should be said that our care
and treatment can not provide against pos
sible relapses or subsequent attacks, and
the asyiums are not justified Ia holding
persons absolutely recovered from one at
tack indefinitely, to provide against another
attack, or TO prevent possible inconyen
fence or expense al home, or IN the county
Reasonable precaution Is TAKEN and proper
detention always practlced When permitted
by the family, for public protection and In
divldual welfare.
Limited as we are by statutory law and
legislative appropriations. by insufficient
room and insufficient help, by family dis
agreements and embdrrasments, frequently
taxing to the ut.crmost limits OF human
patience and tolerance, still. after careful
study and inspection OF the leading insu
tutlous Of IL or Is OF our foremost States
=. is gratifying to say that Texas stands
well up among her sister States in the care
Of her insane. And II Is confidently be
leyed. shen the reforms above alluded to
are enacted into law and fact. and have
wrought their perfect work no State IN
the american union can surpass us In 4
well ordered. well arranged and we'll con-
ducted eleemosynary system.
.Fiial Consideration.