The Lamar register., 1905-05-31

A. T.. MacuOnalu, L. Il. D., VI. ~.
medical superintendent of the Manhat
tan State Hospital. East. gives q
graphic account of,tent life as tried
under his direction for a large number
of insane consumptives.. 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 consumptive insane patients
may be kept. and treated, to their ad-
vantage and incidentally to the ad-
vantage of their fellow-inmates. In
canvas tents. and throughout the sew
eral seasons of the year, has been
demonstrated in the recent history OF
the Manhattan State Hospital, East.
The experiment upon the success of
which this claim is advanced has COW
cred period of forty months.
In all hospitals for the insane the in
mates are classified according to the
form of mental disturbance. To take
from all these classes any suffering
from tuberculosis and put them to-
gether in one tent was a serious prob
lem. This. however. has been very
successfully done. The original plan
was to use the camp only about five
months during each summer.
The camp first established consist
ed of two large dormitory tents
twenty by forty feet-each containing
twenty beds. with smaller tents of
different shapes. about ten by ten
feet, for the accommodation of the
70 of hn hNc to1 CT
pantries and a dining tent for such
patients as were able to leave their
beds and tents. and go to the table for
their meals. Running water was Sc
cured by means of underground pipes,
and the safe disposition of waste and
sewage was also provided for.
AS has been said, it was expected to
continue the camp only through the
summer and as far into the autumn
as favorable weather might render
justifable. But when in the late au-
tumn it was found that the favorable
experience continued, 1t was decided
to attempt to carry the experiment,
on a moderate scale. into. or even
through. the approaching winter. The
camp, as first established. had been
placed upon an elevated knoll adjacent
to the riverside and purposely exposed
to tbe. full force of the summer
breezes. For the winter experiment
its site was removed to the center OF
the island. where trees and buildings
tnterposed to act as a wind-break to
the severe storms from the east and
northeast which are to be expected in
that locality. The number of patients
was reduced to twenty. those in whom
the disease was most active being re.
tanned and the others being returned
for the time being. and much against
their will. to the buildings. One large
tent suffices for the housing at night
of the reduced number of patients
and one was set apart as a 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 g
liberal use of asbestos and other fire
proof material and arrangements fol
the prevention OF fire.
To make a long story short, 1t 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 its employment has been gradually
enlarged until all patients in whom
there are active manifestations o.
Ituberculosis-an average of forty
three out of a total census of abou
2.OOO-are isolated therein. and there
has been parallel enlargement of the
elements of the plant.
The isolation of the tuberculosis pa
tIents has reduced to a minimum the
danger of infection of other patient:
and of employees. The patients them
selves have suffered no injury or hard
ship, but have. on the contrary. beer
Enthusiastically benefited. This is shown
among other ways. by decrease il
| the death rate from pulmonary tuber
culosis. both absolute and relative
and by a marked general increase il
bodily weight. amounting in the cas-,
| of one patient to an actual doubling o
| the weight-from eighty-three to on'
hundred and sixty-six pounds-in four
teen months of camp residence.
Mental improvement has as gener
al rule been the concomitant of physi
cal. not only among the patients in tn'
tuberculosis camp, but also in tht
others. and in the forXer class thi'
has been somewhat oSAan anomaly
My experience, and I think that o
others, has been that when phthisi!
and insanity co-exist they are apt t.
alternate as to the prominence of theil
several manifestations-the menta
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 NANTES