The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-19
Kansas Board of Control Would
Enlarge Facilities.
Investigation of System In
Other States Completed.
GIVE UP COUNTY PLAN
Would Have All Incurables I'm
der Care of State.
Abandon All the County Asy-
lums in Kansas.

4 lumS In Kansas.
A report OF Investigations made in
Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and
Iowa by H. c. Bowman and r. W.
Knapp, of the state board of control
OF this state. which may have a good
deal of weight in deciding what KAN
sas will do about providing additional
| facilities for the care of insane has
been prepared for submission to the
governor. 1t will later be printed in
| book form. and be available for the
use Of the members of the legislature.
In each of the four states visited, a
| dinerent system for handling the in
| sane wards was found to exist. Briefly
| summarized these conditions follow:
Illinofs-Has had same system as
Kansas, but last assembly provided for
| state care Of all mentally deficient,
| both durable and incurable.
| Wfsconsin-State care for violent
| insane, county asylums for harmless
incurables
Minnesota-State care for all in
sane; detention hospitals for first
| treatment, parole system for those
| inebriates; special asylum for danger
Gus criminal insane. The board of
| control also has charge of a state
sanitarium for consump tives.
Iowa-State care and county aims
houses, each county paying a certain
per capita fee for all patients from
| the county in the state hospitals.
The system which prevails in Kan
sas is to send the violent insane,
which, paradoxically, are usually the
durable cases, to the state asylums
while the harmless insane, and cases
of long standing, considered incurable
are left to each county to take care of.
The result is that these incurabIes are
sent to the county poor farms of the
state, or are confined in private
asylums at county expense.
Docs This Condition Exist in Kansas?
The system of county care for in
sane was given great shake-up in
Illinois last year, and the sensat ional
exposures resulted III the radical re-
forms adopted by the legislature AS
the old Illinois system is the same one
which now exists in Kansas, the prob
ability is that a similar Investigation
in Kansas would be productive of sim
liar scandalous disclosures. The fol-
lowing is a quotation from the findings
of the Kansas committee in Illinois:
The conditions prevailing in these
almShouSes, as found and reported to
the governor and general assembly,
We're so appalling that the entire sys-
tenn was changed TO complete state
care. The report disclosed the fact
that they found steel cells, cages
board crib BEDS handouts. chain hob
bles, and similar relics of barbarism in
use to restrain the insane; that there
was great lack of fire protection, and
tary conditions. There was practically
no expert medical or nursing service
In 80 almShouses there were no bath
tubs; in ] 8 no effective separation of
the sexes, resulting in such scandals
as the birth of Legitimate children by
mentally irresponsible women; in 81
there was no provision to separate the
insane from the plain pauper."
Illinois is now building hospitals
which will be large enough to accom-
modate all the mentally deficient in
the state.
Kansas Will Need More Room.
This is the plan which has the an
prevail of the Kansas state board Of
control, and it is likely that at the
next session of the legislature, an an
preparation will be asked of sufficient
size to increase the capacity of the
state asylums to take care of all so
called 'incurables" confined in county
almshouses.
The Kansas Investigators did not
seen to be very favorably impressed
with the Wisconsin plan of county
asyluns, though it is admitted by
them that they have certain attrac-
tive features. The Wisconsin county
asylums are paid a certain amount nv
the state for each patient maintained
and they are therefore self sustaining
so far as the county is concerned.
The Minnesota plan of handling the
insanity problem comes in for much
commentator. In Minnesota they
have probably the best system of this
kind in the west. There are two state
hospitals for the care of incurabIex
and three for the care of acute casaa
The hospitals for chronic cases are n
the nature of homes. and are not pro-
vided with equipment for the scien-
tific treatment of patients. The other
three hospitals, for acute cases. are
provided with all modern methods Cor
treating insanity. Minnesota also pro-
vides for the appointment of one or
more parole agents. to look after pa
tents after they are discharged aid
them in finding employment, and see
to it that they are returned II they
suffer relapse. They also have three
detention hospitals. or psycopathio
wards, one at each of the acute hos
pitfalls, where new cases are given this
most energetic treatment to promote
home for inebriates, for the building
and maintenance of which a tax of
per cent is levied on all saloon H.
censes, which comes pretty near being
poetic justice. Old soaks can be sent
10 this hospital after trial in the pro-
bate court, or they can make volun-
-ary application for admission before
The probate court. In addition to all
.hese, Minnesota has a special hos
pital or asylum for dangerous insane,
and insane criminals.
The Iowa system for management
IF insane is also highly commended by
he Kansas committee, though Iowa
was found to have inadequate facili-
les for caring. for its insane. The
state hospitals take care of all they
IAN, and the rest are provided for in
arms. Instead of the state appro-
ri Tnnnov for he