The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-12-08
EPILEPT|CS
And INSANE
Two EDiI6DtiCS, FIV6
Insane at Infirmdru.

J.. L. Lewis stan correspondent
OF the Indianapolis News, has been
making some investigations in this
county IN regard to our county cpl
leptics and our insane. Below we
publish in full his report as sent to
the News:
There are two epifeptics and five
insane in the Marshall county in
firmary, and one of these insane has
been confined in cell for five years.
At the Julia E. Work Orphans Home
which serves as the orphanage for
the county, there are three more cpl
leptics, two of whom are from this
county; the other being from Evans
vile. The discovery of five insane in
the county intlrmary here came as a
surprize, as the laws governing the
northern district State hospital for
the insane are such as would prevent
so many insane from being held in a
county in6rmary.
One Of the insane inmates. a man
named Hunt, has been in the inhrm-
airy eight or nine years, or probably
longer. The present superintendent
found him there when he took charge
six years ago. and the case has been
such a difficult one that it has been
necessary for five years or more to
keep him locked up ini barred cell
all he time. At one time before the
present management. girl was kept
i'll steel cage at the in6rmary.
The other four insane at the in6rm-
ary now are custodial cases-hope>
less, peaceable and easy handled.
The two epileptics in the inhrmary
ar distressing cases. One of them, a
forty-hveyear-old woman Leaha
Dick, has been in the in6rmary for
ten years. Her epilepsy is the result
of spinal sickness. She is feeble ment-
ally, is confined to her bed all of the
time, and the epileptic seizures, which
almost invariably come on her at
night, are so violent that often she
falls out OF bed.
She formerly tried to climb up the
sides of the walls: now she plays
with dolls almost all of the time
From a sanitary point this case, and
the insane man who has been kept in
a cell four years, are most distressing,
though the management of the in
firmary is one of the best and most
careful in the State.
The other epileptic at the infrmary
is forty-wear-old man named Hart.
He is of the hysterical type, and,
though the seizures are often two or
three weeks apart, it is found impos-
sible to intrYst him with any duties
other than little Chores" 1t is
doubtful if his condition could be inn
proved greatly byspe cial treatment,
or if under even the most favorable
conditions he could be made self sup
porting.
AT this season Of the year he fol-
lows the corn-huskers in the fields,
picking up ears of corn, but he is
not able to husk corn During his
seizures he is violent and curses ter
ribly. He has been an inmate of the
infi.mary for number of years
One of the three cases of epilepsy
in the Julia L. Work orphanage is a
violent and very serious one-a ff-
teen-year-old boy. 1t is necessary
to keep him locked up most of the
time. His seizures are very violent
and frequent When in the grasp of
an epleptic attack and in the period
of mental lapse after it, he is danger
Gus. The other two epileptics are
younger children. Their mentality is
being seriously affected.
Il am deciddly of the opinion" said
Julia E. Work, "that provisions
should be made for State care Of cpl
leptics, separate from the poor and
inhrm of counties, and separate from
the insane in the State hospitals for
the insane
"In my work of receiving children
from counties and placing them in
homes, | come more or less in con-
tact with the orphans homes in fifty
three counties of the State, and to
the number of epileptcs that you will
find kept in jails and poor houses
ovr the State, you must add good
number of children that, at county
expense, are kept in the orphanages
Many of them are distressing cases;
some might be improved, if not cur
ed, if proper medical treatment were
given.
During my many years work in
handling children, / have been able
to cure many cases of chorea, or St
Vitus dance in children, but | have
not been able successfully to treat
epileptics to cure. In children cpl
lepsy deterioartes the mental facul
ties to certain extent.
1t'is my opinion that, in the Ions
run, the State would save money b,
/ separating them. 1t is not weH TO
J the State to permit epiIeptics to re