The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-19
House Committee Approves
Management of Insane,
CRUELTY CHARGE UNFOUNDED
Majority IndOrses Superintendent
Whites Administration OF Govern
ment Hospital, but Minority Files
Slightly Different Views-VariOus
Recommendation Made.

| Of cruelty to patients not sustained in
| the majority report of the special COM
mittee Of the House of Representatives
made public yesterday. The minority re-
port criticises some Of the conditions Of the
asylum, but in a general way comedies
with the report Of the majority in its
principal points.
The majority report is signed by Rep
resentatlves OlcOtt, of New York. chair
man; Smyser. of Ohio. and Barchfeld, Of
Pennsylvania, all Republicans. Repre-
sentatives Hay, Of Virginia. and Wallace,
Of Arkansas, Democrats, were the mi
nority.
| The principal holdings of the majority
were that Dr. White Is fully qualified to
| perform the duties of his position, and the
charges Of mismanagement and abuse Of
patients were not sustained by the evil
dence. The majority of the committee
also found that the physicians Of the
asylum are capable men. and that the
methods of restraint used at the institu-
ton are proper and only resorted to in
cases OF actual necessity.
On the question Of abuse the majority
report holds further. that the attendants
perform their work well, and that where
ever there have been cases of harsh
| treatment on the part of an attendant.
the offender has invariably been dis
charged. In regard to the food, the re-
port holds that it is OF good quality and
variety and generally well prepared and
cooked.
Various Recommendation.
The majority report touches upon the
character Of the equipment Of the insti-
tuition. its buildings, and the handling Of
the patients, and speaks fayorably Of
these. In touching upon suggested
changes the majority members hold that
the management Of the hospital should be
under one head, that the pei. capita cost
OF the hospital. as now fixed. should not
be reduced; that there is no necessity for
the creation OF a lunacy commission ia
the District, and that the law relative TO
the commitment Of patients should be re-
pealed and a new one enacted.
In closing their report the majority
members recommend, that III view of the
fact that the superintendent Of the hos
pital is authorized by statute TO make
such improvements as he might think
necessary out OF the money appropriated
for the support fund OF The hospital and
the pension money now in his hands, that
the statute should be amended so that
the superintendent should be relieved Of
performing the duties Of disburslng officer
and should be given authority 20 appoint
such an official 10 act under his direction.
The majority further recommend that
the statute be amended 50 as to make
provision for the creation Of a separate
s-.l-a a. ~.
criminally insane now in the hospital
Other recommendation are that steam
heaters be used 10 keep the food hot
after 1t leaves the kitchens, and that at
least one, and perhaps two, new kitchens
should be installed
Minority Report.
The minority Of the committees report
states that whereas the staff frown on
and forbid cruelty. it has been proven that
eases of cruelty to patients have occurred. /
and that the fact in itself is evidence that
the management under which they occur
must be faulty in some way. This fault,
the minority members state, is partly due
to the insufficient number Of attendants.
IS we'll as 70 a certain amount OF cal
lousness displayed both by the physicians
md the attendants. and their want Of
sympathy for the unfortunate patients
In regard TO the food the minority re-
port SAYS that while there is a conflict Of
evidence. il seems that the great prepon-
derance OF testimony is that the food Is
badly prepared and badly seized. and
sometimes unfit 10 eat. The food is often
cold and unpalatable when served. Mr.. |
Hay and Mr.. Wallace affirm.
The minority hold that the evidence
taken shows that the manner Of commit |
ment Of soldiers and sailors to the hospi- /
tai is not in accord with those principles
Of law and justice which should be ap-
piled in cases involving the liberty and
property Of the citizens OF this country, /
md that in the cases OF he men sent from
the soldiers homes Is even worse, as they
are committed upon the order OF the
president Of the board OF managers of the |
national homes without invoking any le- |
gal process.
The minority finds that from the evil |
dence il appears that besides the annual !
appropriation made for the support of
the hospital a large amount Of money Is /
derived from the pensions Of soldiers and |
sailors committed there, and that this |
money is not used for the benefit Of the
pensioners in particular, but is spent upon |
the Improvements to the grounds and /
buildings, and that this should be reme- |
died by a law providing that these pen |
sioners get the benefit of their pensions. |
Regarding Employees.
In regard to the employees Of the hos
pital the minority members suggest in |
their report that the superintendent |
should employ those who have to serve /
under him. but that Congress should fix |
the salaries Of those so employed. The |
minority also finds that the manner in |
which the appropriations for the hospital |
are made is faulty, and that a 5 a remedy /
there should be a separate bill prepared /
by the Committee on Appropria tons, in |
which the items for the hospital should /
be set out IN detail.
In regard 10 the appointment of a /
unacy commission, the minority members |
suggest that such a body be formed In /
the District to be composed of three mem
bers, whose terms of Office and compen- |
sation shall be fixed by Congress. One |
member To be a surgeon in the army, to /
be designated by the Secretary of War; /
one to be a surgeon in the navy. to be /
designated by the Secretary of the Navy. 4
and the third to be a citizen of the Dis
trict of Columbia 10 be appointed by the /
board of District Commissioners.
The Investigations of the committee /
cover period from October. 1903. to the
present time In pursuit of information
concerning the management Of hospitals
for the insane, the committee visited some
of the principal asylums in the East and |
examined 2S7 witnesses, including en-
ployes. former employees, superintendent
Of other hospitals, and the persons filing
the complaint against the ST. Elizabeth
institution that brought about the inves-
tigatiOn.