The news & observer., 1905-11-19
"a GREAT SERVICE TO HU-
MANITY."

The people of North Carolina are Il
fair minded people and are distin-
iguished for their determination to hold
public officials to a strict discharge OF
public duty Within the past few days
the editor of The News and Observer
has been the recipient of many mes
sages and letters of thanks for the
position this paper has taken with ref
terence to the care of the INDECENT in
sane in North Carolina. Our criticism.
please bear in mind. is chiefly direct
ed at one practise that needs to be
radically changed, to-wit: the prac-
tise of taking patients able to pay Cir
makes little difference in this view
whether they actually pay or noD to
the exclusion of INDECENT insane, who
alone are recognized by the Constitu-
ton as care upon the State.
Among the letters received we take
the liberty of making extracts from
a letter written by one of the leading
who stands as high ,as any man in
the profession. He says:
ALLOW me to commend the senti-
ment and the emphatic utteranceS III
this mornings issue of The News and
Observer, headed, 1T is Disgrace to
the State" You can not be too en-
phatic in denunciation of a policy,
which allows such condition to exist,
every one, especially the medical pro-
fession, who come in more intimate
contact with these conditions than
laymen, will feel that you are doing
a. great service to humanity in at
tempting to correct such a stigma
upon the State.
IF You will allow me to suggest
the real cause, which makes this con-
dition possible, is the policy of the
Board of Directors of the State Hos
pitals to admit only those whom the
superintendent deems durable, at least
ONLY those afflicted with that form OF
insanity which in the natural course
of it's existence will have a lucid IN
terval,' during which a report may be
made that the case has been cured;
thereby making a satisfactory record
for the institution, that a larger num-
ber of cases has been cured than some
other institution of similar character.
making a record. at the expense OF
usefulness to the State, and humanity
SeNoN
of insanity is curable, and no treat
ment is ever given especially for in
sanity. The Constitution does not re-
uuire care of those insane deemed cur
able for specific purposes, when those
admitting the case know that none OF
them are durable. Some are less
troublesome than others, and some
have a stronger pull than Others but
all are equally incurable by any treat
ment they may receive, and no douDl
the purpose of the hospitals and asy-
lums was to protect the insane and
the community and not enable this
or that superintendent to make re-
putation with those ignorant OF such
matters. that he had cured more In-
sane than some one else.
The truth is that there is need of
a radical change in the management
of our hospitals for the insane. Under
the present Code-made law (made
without legislative sanction) the su-
perintendent is made an autocrat am
important powers have been taken
from the board of directors. Here are
two changes in management that
ought to be made:
L. y
charitable institutions ought to &c
under the co, troll of one board of di-
rectors-three or five-who should be
paid to give their time to the dlrec-
ton of all the institutions. 1t is ut
terly impossible, under present con-
ditions, for unpaid directors to give
that time to the management that Is
necessary and they cannot know IS
much about the institution as they
should know This is no reflection
upon the patriotic gentlemen who
serve the State as directors, giving
their time and best endeavors. They
recognize the difficulty of giving the
best management, which was increas-
ed when the Code Commission (by no
authority except that of asylum au-
right to elect physicians and other
employees and made the Superintend-
ent the autocrat
2. Physicians at the hospitals
should be relieved of all duty except
professional duties. The executive
and business concerns of the hospitals
ought to be in the hands of a busi-
ness man and the physician should
have all his time to devote to the
treatment of patients. The public was
distinctly surprised when, in the Nall
investigation, DIR. Mckee stated that
sometimes he saw the patients once
a week and sometimes oftener. Why
does he see them so seldom? Be-
cause he is engressed in the executive
and business management of the in
stitution-duties that require much
time and that necessarily burden a
superintendent. The patients ought
to have all the time of the head physi
clan, but as long as he is compelled
to "serve@ tables" he cannot give his
undivided, attention to the profession
al treatment of patients.
'"The State ought to care for every
insane person in the State, rich and
poor said d gentleman yesterday
land that would settle all the present
trouble That may be, but the State
~ i,.c nd