The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-06
THE INSANE PROBLEM.
1t is Absolutely Necessary to Provide
More Room for Them.

To the Boards of Directors of the
Hospitals at Morganton and Raleigh.
The undersigned committee, appointed
by your respective bodies beg leave
to report the following:
We believe a certain and well de-
fined policy should be adopted t<e the
State either to provide adequately for
it's insane citizens or decline to do so
in unqualified terms, if the latter pol
icy is followed. the authorities of the
different counties knowing they can
not depend on the State will provide
TOR their insane the best they can.
and the insane will have some care
mat is now denied to many Under
the present plan the counties wait
for the State to build and the State
does not and thus the insane are left
uncared for.
There is no need to discuss the
humane or economical side of the
question, for we assume that all are
agreed that the public should UNDER
take to provide amply for All the IN
sane. especially those whose friends
and relatives are unable TO care Tor
them.
1t is well known that North Caro-
lima has not erected enough build
lngs to house ali it's white insane, but
it is not certain how many are in their
homes, in Jails and aims house, or
roaming the country at large.
The u. S. Census for 1900 does not
enumerate the insane except those III
State and private hospitals, and The
census of 1890 was so VIGOROUSLY and
glaringly inaccurate, in the enumera-
ton OF the insane that not the slight
est credence is given it. The enum-
eratlonS of previous years are out OF
date and may be as worthless as that
of 1890, but study of the census
of 1880 is interesting; the white
population was 867,242 the insane
1891, one insane person to every 545
of inhabitants, the negro insane was
one to every 1915. Negroes under
the foregoing should have room for
$40; the whites room for 21S1. The
negroes have room for 500; the whites
room for 1400. There are 20 negro
insane on the outside to 200 white.)
We, therefore, must rely on the care
fully prepared statistics of other
countries and States. In the more
thickly populated countries there are
slightly more than three insane per-
sons to every 1000 of population.
Probably insanity is not so prevalent
amongst our citizens, but we believe
that two to 1000 of white people in
North Carolina are insane. The large
number of applicants on file in the Of
sane and the manv letters of inquiries
would seem to prove this number 10
be correct, but TO be we'll within linn
its we will base our calculations on
one insane person to 600 of white in
habitantS. EE
North Carolina by the census of
1900 had 12636U3 white Inhabitants;
179,049 in the Western Hospital Dis
trict and 4S4,554 in the Eastern. On
of in
inhabitants we had in the State in
1900, 2106 insane: 1898 in the Western
District and sos in the Eastern. The
Western District increased in popuIa-
ton during the decade 1S90-1900,
14S,269, or 1892 per annum. The
Eastern District 66,143 or 6614 per
annum. AT the same ratio the popu-
lation in the Western District for the
past five years has increased 74,135
the insane 1913, in the Eastern the in
crease of population for five years has
been 5000, the insane 55. If these
estimates are correct there are in the
Western District 1.421 insane persons.
in the Eastern S63 or a total of 2,2S&
IN the State. The Morganton Hospital
has in round numbers beds for 1000
patients, the one in Raleigh beds for
400, these estimates show the need
for an increase of 421 beds at Morgan
ton and 463 at Raleigh. and also that
in the Western District there is one
patient cared for to every S53 of in
habitants and in the Eastern one to
every 1924. 1t appears from the fore
going the Eastern District needs room
for more. To equalZe the two dis
tricts there should be at Morganton
129 patiepts from the East The year
ly increase of the white insane in
North Carolina is about &c.
In accordance with the agreement
Nf hf fx.r.N
received from the East. ON - of -
there were -- patients in the hospit-
al at Morganton from the East ami
number in the Raleigh Hospital
from the West. 1t is plain that send
ing patients so far is expensive and
everything else being equal the Raj
efgh Hospital needs enlargement more
than the one at Morganton.
1t is our opinion that in considera-
ton of the large number of
insane outside of the walls of the
hospitals who are in need and
the difficulty and expense of providing
for so many at once. that dotards,
paralytics, idiots, imbeciles and cpl
leptlcs for the present be excluded or
accommodations prepared for them in
other places.
Employment is the best remedy for
insanity and farming is the best and
most remunerative form of labor. 1t
is estimated there should be an acre
of land to every patient under treat 4
ment. The hospital at Raleigh has
felt greatly the need for land and
this need cannot but grow greater as
time goes on. We respectfully urge
that this matter cannot be too strong
ly insisted on to the Legislature by
your respective boards. Sufficiency
of land is the one great means of re-
ducing the cost of maintenance, it is
not only a curative measure, but an
economical one.
1t is absolutely necessary to make
more room for the insane at Raleigh
The cost for their maintenance will
be materially decreased by the pur-
chase of more land and cheaper
water supply. They now pay about
two thousand dollars per annum for
water and for the rent of land, which
represents the interest on capital of
forty thousand dollars at five per cent. |
We again ask that attention be |
drawn to the large amount of tuber- |
culosis in our midst, which we are
helpless to combat with our INSULT
cient accommodation for the tubecu-
lOuS patients.
There is great demand on the
- ExAN o. EaNN