The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-11
Board OF COntroIs tissues a For
NAL Statement.
ALONG THE NEW LINES.
[ncurables Will No Longer Be
Kept by State.
State Institutions Hospitals for
Treatment of Insane.

An official statement was given out
today by the state board of control 10
the effect that the law of 1901 Will
hereafter be strictly enforced. and that
each county of the state Will nave TO
make provision for the care OF Its IN
durable insane. and weak and feeble
minded people whose mania is not OF
dangerous nature.
Under the strict Interpretation OF
this law. it will be almost imperative
that each county build its own insane
asylum, and provide for the care OF
habitual drunkards, idiots, imbeclles
and persons of weak and feeble MIND,
who are all disbarred from admission
to the state hospitals. Nor will the
board of control allow the various
counties to turn in bill to the leg1S-
Iature for the care Of such cases. as
has been done. in the past. The law
relieves the state of all responsibility
for the care of harmless and incurabie
insane.
s.It is not our purpose said one of
the members of the board today in
discussing to new order, TO go
through the state hospitals ana coIiect
all the patients not authorized by law
to be cared for by the state. 1t Woufo
be a bad thing to turn all these peo-
pie loose al once upon the various
counties which sent them there. But
the legislature of 1901 completely
changed the character of the instItu-
lions for the insane They are no
longer 'asylums' for the detention OF
insane, but are hospitals for the med
zeal treatment of insane. Hence the
law has made provision that lolots'
imbeciles, and those whose minds have
been affected from birth, also the very
aged people whose minds have failed
through natural physical deterioration,
shall not be admitted to the state hos
ha
of no value in such cases. The state
is no longer responsible for such cases,
and the law puts the burden upon the
counties.
so we have adopted this plan; to
refuse to receive any more of such IN
durable cases. and to further require
that whenever county sends an
eligible patient to the asylum, it shall
take away one of its patients who is,
under the law, Ineligible
This new order is likely to make a, lot
of trouble for the board. In fact the
trouble has already commenced. few
days ago word was received from pro-
bate judge that he had ordered GER
tain person committed to the asylum.
The papers in the case showed that the
patient had been afflicted since birth.
The board refused to admit the patient
In another case an eligible patient was
reported, and the board Informed the
county officials that trade would have
to be made by which the county would
take back one of its ineligible patients.
The county officials Indignantly re-
fused to accept this condition, and its
patient is still on its hands. Some
heated letters are said to have been ex-
changed as the result of some of these
controversies.
1t is likely that some county will test
the authority of the board to make such
an order by legal process. The board
has referred its position to the attorney
general, and has secured his approval.
In spite of the position which the
board has taken, the statement issued
today emphatically condemns the law
which has made it necessary. The state
men says:
This board does not believe in the
policy that was adopted in this state
by the enactmentS of the legislature
of 1901. We do not believe in state
hospitals and county insane asylums-
We think that the state should pro-
vide state asylums and do away with
the county insane feature of 1T and al
low all patients to be taken imme-
diately to the state hospitals, and if
the patient turns out to be incurable,
then to change him to state asylum
The policy of having county aSylums
is not scientific and is not economical
1t is utterly impossible for each coun-
ty to have county insane asylum with
a corps of skilled physicians and
trained nurses. AS the counties pay
all the taxes for the maintenance of
the care of these unfortunates, 1t
really makes no difference whether
they are taken care of by the state or
by the county, but the state institutions
ceive all the unfortunates, and the
law will not permit us to admit
Them
The original plan in this state, as
shown by statutes passed in 1875 and
previously thereto. was to have each
county pay for the care of its own
insane. Later the burden was shifted
to the state. In 1901, owing to the
crowded condition of the asylums, the
definition insane" was changed. to re-
lieve the state of part of the burden,
and place it back upon the counties
The state legislature had been appro-
priating large sums each year to pay
for the care of insane patients which
could not be accommodated at the
asylums. The boards statement goes
on to say:
"On the day we took charge, July 1,
1906 there were ], 292 patients in the OS-
awatomie state hospital and not sin
gle vacant bed. and papers had been
accepted for three more patients. The
Topeka state hospital had 1,049 patti
ents four vacant beds and had accepted
patients were out on parole from both
of these hospitals and were liable to re-
turn at any time. The school for the
feeble minded at Winfield, the only
place in the state where imbeciles and
idiots are eligible, (unless they are dan
gerous to themselves or others) had a
capacity of 375 and there were 372 in
the institution, with 81 out on furlough
and "a accepted applications. There was
room for a few epileDtics at Parsons.
We also found many of the states pat
tents confined in jails and private asy-
lums, and the probate judges of the
counties in which the insane are con-
fined in jails are insisting very strong
w uOOn their admission. We would like
to admit every person that comes in I'M
der every definition of insanity, but you
can see from the above that it is utter
| w impossible Under section $50 only