The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1905-06-03

/ graphic account OF tent life as tried
under his direction for large number
OF insane eonsamptiyes. The follow
ing extracts are from his paper in the
/ Directory OF Institutions and Societies
I dealing with Tuberculosis in TIE
I United States and Canada;
That consumptiye insare patients
/ may be kept. and treated. 10 their ad-
I vantage and Incidentally to the ad-
vantage Of their feiiow-iumaies. in
canvas tents. and throughout the sey-
erai 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 coy
cred a 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 serious prob
lem. This. however. has been very
successfully done. The original plan
was 10 use the camp onis about Ave
months during each summer.
The camp first established consist
ed Of two large dormltory tents
twenty by forty feet-each containing
different shapes. about ten by ten
feet. for the accommodation OF the
nurses, the care Of the hospital stores.
pantries and a dining tent for such
patients as were able to leave their
beds and tents. ard go TO the table for
their meals. Running water vas Sc
cured by means OF underground pipes.
and the safe disposition q 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
justihable. But when in the late an-
tumn Il was found tha; the favorable
experience continued, it was decided
10 attempt to carry the experiment.
on moderate scale into. or even
through. the approaching winter. TIE
camp. as first established. had been
placed upon an elevated knoll adjacent
10 the riverside and purposrly exposed
20 the full force OF the summer
breezes. For the winter experiment
Its site WAS removed 10 the center Of
tho island. where trees and buildings
interposeai 10 act as a wind-break 10
the severe storms from the east ani
northeast which are to be expected In
that locality. The number OF patients
was reduced 70 twenty. those in whom
the disease was most active being re-
tained and the others being returned.
for the tine being. and much against
their will Ia the buildings. One large
tent sufiiees fer ''ie housing AZ nleht
ut 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 10 protect the patients. and a
liberal use OF asbestos and other fire
proof material and arrangements for
the prevention OF FIRE
To make a long story short. Il has
remained in continuous use. not Only
throughout the first winter. but
through the two succeeding winters
aAAL tAAtA hFAAAA- N+AFAA7s AF " AAt
date OF the present writing The scope
of its employment has been gradually
enlarged until all patients In whom
there are active manifestations OF
tuberculosls-an average of forty
three out OF a total census of about
2.0e0-are Isolated therein. and there
has been parallel enlargement OF the
elements Of the plant.
The isolation OF the tuberculosis pa
tieuts has reduced to a 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
unmistakably benefited. This is shown
/ among other ways. by a decrease ir
the death rate from pulmonary tuber-
/ cuiosis. both absolute and relative.
/ and by marked general increase in
I bodily weight. amounting In the case
/ of one patient 10 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 a rener-
al rule been the concomitant Of physi-
/ cal. not only among the patients in tae
/ tuberculosis camp. but also In he
/ others. and in the former class this
ras been somewhat OF an anomaly
Ny experience. and | think that of
/ others. has been that when phthisis
and insanity co-exlst they are apt to
alternate as to the prominence of their
several manifestations-the mental
symptoms being more pronounced
whilst the physical are In abeysnce.
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
| caya most satisfaction to Us az the