The Washington times., 1906-06-08
ONE ATTENDANT
FOR TEN PATIENTS
At INSANE ASYLUM
Food There Is Also Very
Bad, Witness
Asserts.
BAD EGGS, SPOILED FISH
Beef Inspector Declared to
Be Not Competent
Judge Of Meats.

~ QGSC VI lflCdlS.
That less than 2sO attendants and
nurses, instead of 800. as represented by
the St Elizabeths authorities. arc en-
ployed 10 look after the $500 patients in
the asylum. wee the testimony given to-
dav bv one OF the asylum nurses before
the special Congressional committee in
Vestigating the institution
Another witness testified that much OF
the corned beef given the patients is
rotten and that bad eggs and spoiled
fish had been served up.
This witness, James W. Burroughs.
also swore that the man at present en-
ployed 70 inspect the meat supplies OF
the asylum IS thoroughly incompetent
TO perform his duty as an inspector.
T H Medley. nurse at the asylum
on Allison p. Ward, testified that the
care of patients on his ward is all right
he said, however. there are rarely
enough attendants on the ward TO care
for the forty-three patients there. on the
ward are four men attendants and one
woman.
Not Enough Help.
'Often. however he said. "aIl the at
tendants are not there. Some of the
patients are helpless. On my ward now
are three suicidal patients, and We have
orders from the doctors never 10 lose
sight Of them You can realize how i'm
possible it is for US 70 look after all
these people as We should some times.
''The food, generally speaking, is good
and well cooked Mine is a hospital
ward, and gets special diet"
Have you any complaint to make
Eah At,
Every man there complains Of the
hours" said Mr.. Medley. Even after
these Ions hours in the relief building
the men, when they retire for the night,
retire TO very small rooms. each room
having one window. There is no chance
for ventilation, for these rooms open on
the ward where patients sleep. But you
can't open these doors. for the atmOs-
phere where the patients sleep is such
that you wouldn't care 70 inhale it.
Now, as TO the food that we atten-
dants have in our dining room, it IS
ordinary and common. II is often cook
ed dry as a chip, and al no time is it
paIatable. 1t certainly seems to me
that the Government could give US bet
ter stuff to eat.
One Attendant, Ten Patients.
You have been told that there are as
many attendants in the asylum now as
there ever We're. I tell you there are
not Instead of being 300 attendants and
nurses there as represented to you gen
tlemen, there are. by actual count, less
than $50.
Since this investigation started. do
Inestics have been ordered into the
wards to care for patients This seemed
10 me an admission that the attendance
was short
a few days ago some patients as
saulted DR.. Logic and they were sent
10 Howard Hall and locked up No pa
tient is locked up for assaultinS an at
tendant In this way the attendants. /
think. are not properly protected from
patients who arc violeLr. Attendants
are often in danger of serious injury.
] don't see why an attendant, any more
than a doctor, should stand and submit
TO Ill treatment
Docked for Time When Ill.
Mr.. Medley then said that attendants
who lose time from sickness have that
time docked from the short annual leave
they get.
James W. Burroughs. recalled to the
stand. testified that before going to work
in the st. EIizabeth's laundry he was
employed in Chicago packing houses and
had had large experience in the handling
of meat.
Most of the corned beef served at
the asylum. ne said. was rotten. Lots
of times sausage was kept too long
and became tainted before II was used
Nobody at the asylum inspected the
meat who was competent TO know about
IL. I often complained about fl. 1 don't
believe the present inspector of NEAR
at st. Elizabeth's is competent to per-
form his duty
Mr. Burroughs said the beef is tough
because too small carcasses are used
Representative Smyser said the contract
called for large carcasSCs.
III the contract calls for that" de-
clared Mr. Burroughs they're violat-
Ing the contract right along.
Refuse to Eat Hospital Food.
There's a little store oyer there kept
by a patient Many people there spend
One-fourth Of their salaries buying food.
rather than to go hungry. I know Of
one man who said he could not do his
work on the food given him. and he
resigned.
IL have often seen spoiled fish on our
table. and bad eggs.
IL all the truth were known about
the institution. there would be a gen
eral change there
What We want is ali you know about
the place. said MIR. Sinyser-
We'll, what / have said is the truth
doctors have testified here that they,
Ike the patients. eat OleOmargaTine in
stead Of butter. Not doctor out there.
except DR. White. uses oleOmarsarine.
They eat butter"
Carl II Soper testified that he had seen
Foreman Maruche. Of the ASYLUM laun-
dry. drunk several times.
Curry Thrift. formerly an attendant in
the asylum. testified the patients are
treated as We'll as possible with the
number OF attendants on the wards
The food ~ the asylum he said
times bad"