Rocky Ford enterprise., 1905-06-02

medical superintendent OF the Manhat'
tan State Hospital. East. gives a
graphic account OF tent life AS tried
under his direction for a large number
OF insane eOnsumptiyes- The follow
ing extracts are from his paper in the
Directory OF Institutions and Societies
dealing with Tuberculosis in the
United States and Canada:
That consumptIye insane patients
may be kept. and treated. to their ad'
vantage and incidentally To the ad'
vantage OF their fellow'inmaies. In
canvas tents. and throughout the sew
eral seasons OF the year. has been
demonstrated in the recent history OF
tho Manhattan State Hospital. East,
The experiment upon the success OF
which this claim is advanced has coy
cred Il period Of forty months.
In all hospitals for the insane the In
mates are classified according NJ the
form OF mental disturbance. To take
from all these classes any suffering
from tuberculosis and put them to-
gether In one tent was serious prob
lem. This. however. has been very
successfully done. The original plan
was to US. the camp only about ave
months during each summer,
The camp first established consist.
"a OF two large dormiiory tents
twenty by forty fect-cach containing
twenty beds. with smaller tents OF
different shapes. about ten by ten
feet. for the accommodation of the
nArscs. the care OF the hospital stores.
faR sol.
patients ns were able to leave their
beds and tents. and so TO the table for
their meals. Running water was Sc-
cured by means Of underground pipes.
and the safe disposition Of vast. and
sewage was also provided for.
AS has been said. IL was expected TO
continue the camp only through the
I summer and rs far into the autumn
as favorable weather might render
| juStlnablc. Hut when In the lat" M.
iumn II was found tha, the favorable
experience continued. II was decided
to attempt TO carry tho experiment.
on n moderate scale. into. or even
through. the approaching winter. The
camp. ms firSt established. had been
placed upon an elevated knoll adjacent
to the riverside and puFpoScly exposed
to the full force OF tho summer
brcczcs. For tho winter experiment
its site was removed To the center OF
/ tho island. where trees and buildings
lntCrposci 10 act aE n wird'bTcak TO
the severe storms from the east and
northeast which are to be expected In
that locality. Tho number OF patients
50 Ia Nth
| tho disease was most active being re-
! iaincd aud the others being returned.
/ for the time being. and much against
| their will. to the buildings One large
/ tent suiilccs for the housing nt night
| OF the reduced number OF patients.
| and one was set apart as sitting.
room for day use. with the accessory
| tents before mentioned. and large
stoves were placed In them. here and
| there. with wire screens surrounding
them to protect the patients. and n
liberal use OF asbestos and other fire.
proof material and arrangements for
| the prevention OF fire.
To make long story short. It has
| remained In continuous use. not only
throughout the first winter. but
through the two succeeding winters
and Intervening seasons. up TO the
date OF the present writing. The scope
OF it's employment has been gradually
enlarged until all patients in whom
there are active manifest ations of
tuberculosls-an average OF forty.
three out of n total census of about
9.OOO-are isolated therein. and there
fat ,1nV mt nf ~.
elements of the plant.
The isolation of the tuberculosis pa.
tients has reduced to minimum the
| danger of infection of other patients
and of employees. The patients them.
selves have suffered no injury or hard.
| ship, but have. on the contrary. been
Enthusiastically benefited. This is shown
among other ways, by decrease in
the death rate from pulmonary tuber.
cu,osis, both absolute and relative
and by marked general increase in
bodily weight. amounting in the case
of one patient to an actual doubling OF
the weight-from eighty-three to one
hundred and sixty.six pounds-in four
teen months of camp residence.
Mental improvement has as gener
| nj rule been the concomitant of physi
| cal. not only among the patients in the
tuberculosis camp, but also in .he
| others, and in the former class this
has been somewhat of an anomaly
My experience, and I think that OF
| others, has been that when phthisis
and insanity co.exist they are apt &c
alternate as to the prominence of thei,
| ,ayorol manifestations-the mental
! symptoms being more pronounced
whilst the physical are in allegiance
and vice versa. Under the tent treat
ment we have found a general dis
position toward accord in the manifes
tations. improvement in both respects
proceeding conCurrently, and some OF
the discharges from the hospital which
| nnye most satisfaction TO lis at the