Gloucester County Democrat., 1906-02-01
GLOUCESTER And SALEM ASYLUMS
CONDEMNED. m



A severe Arrangement Of the insane
hospitals in Gloucester and Salem counties,
which are included in the Trenton hospital
district, is the feature Of the annual report
Of the board Of trustees of the New Jersey
state hospital at Trenton, which has been
submitted to Governor Stokes. The report
sums up by asserting that these institutions,
though they receive aid from the State, do
not in any manner fulfil the idea intended
I by the state in authorizing the establish
ment Of county asylums.
After stating that the county asyiums in
this district have been visited and inspect
ed as required by the statute, the report
says:
SIN the counties Of Atlantic, Burlington,
Camden and Cumberland we found, as we
haye observed in former visitations,
manifest desire on the part Of the officials
in the Immediate charge of the institutions
to make the condition Of the patients COM
mitted to them as comfortable as possible.
The general hygienic conditions OF the
buildings was good, the patients were
properly clad, were furnished with COM
Portable beds that were neat and clean, and
were apparently supplied with abundant
and proper food Daily medical visitations
were made to the patients, and their imme-
diate care was under the supervision OF
experienced attendants. In each OF the
counties named, separate buildings have
been erected, at considerable cost, furnished
with the usual accessories thought to be
necessary for the proper care for the insane
ssIn the counties Of Gloucester and Salem,
however, no such buildings are provided.
In the former county (Gloucester) the in
sane are chiefly quartered in the Aims
House, and in the latter, while separate
building has been provided, il is situated
Immediately adjoining the Aims House,
and nothing whatever furnished that would
meet even The most ol iinaFy requirements
or the care and treatment Of the patients
sThese places are designated as asylums,
or hospitals, and notwithstanding the fact
thas they are the recipients of state aid to-
the same extent, proportionately, as the
most suitably equipped county Institution,
yet they are absolutely without any organ
ization whatever, without adequate medi-
cal supervision and without attendants or
nurse in any way qualified to care for the
unfortunates committed to their care. In
fact. the only attendants furnished in
either one Of the institutions are the resi-
dent inmates of the nearby Aims Houses.
In Salem county we found both sexes on
the same corridor or hall with no means of
separation, except to keep the patients
constantly locked up in cheerless, uninvit-
ing rooms Only one bath tub is provided
for tie entlre number Of patients, both
sexes, and this is also used by the women
paupers who are brought from time to time
to the asylum building for bathing pur-
poses. No hot water is furnished for any
purpose, except what is carried in buckets
from the main building Most of the floors
Of the building are covered with sheet zinc,
making it cold, cheerless and uncomfort-
able for the inmates.
Attention has been called in our former
reports to this neglect to make proper pro-
vision for the care of the insane, and we
can only reiterate the opinion heretofore
expressed that an aims house in which the
;,sa ~ ~ manners aayn n, inola and with