The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-02-04
INSANITY INCREASING.
STATE HOSPITAL HAS 2, 300 IA-
 MATES.


 on Hand-Biennial Report of State
 nstitution-ImprOvem Which are Required-Insane in Connecticut In-
 crease Over One Hundred a Year. l The biennial report of the Connecti- cut Hospital for the Insane for the period ended September 30, 1906. has been presented to Governor woodruff. The trustees report is addressed to the General Assembly. They discuss alcoholic, dotards and idiotic patients, the classes which generally find their way to the hospital, and tell of the fire on June 21, 1906, which destroyed the amusement hall and chapel, dy- namo, engine rooms and tool rooms. The following matters, previously ] presented to the General Assembly, will be presented again: Sprinkling plant at an expense of $30,OO0; a wharf l and railway for handling heavy freight The report enumerates the improvements at the hospital for the past two years, among them being a new fire alarm system electric lights, general bath room in the basement of the congregate building, new reservoir refrigerating machinery, in duplicate, etc. The enumerated needs of the hospital which will require appropria- tions are: Amusement hall, sixteen inch water main for five purposes, facilities for handling coat and heavy freight, additional quarters for em- ployees, additional fire protection by automatic sprinkling. Terms of office of the following trustees will expire July l. 19O7 Henry J. Hendy, pr, J. G. Gregory. Frank c. Bushnell, Henry Woodward, Samuel Russell, E. -rving Bell.
 Superintendent Noble's report shows that there are 2,4S7 patients, an in crease of seventy-five during the per- iod covered by the report, a larger in- crease than usual. During the past two years, S69 were admitted, SO4 were discarged and 327 died The number of recoyeries was 152, a percentage of 172 of those admitted The superin- tendent sa-s:-
 Notwithstanding our inability to re- eeiye patients as fast as they have applied, there has nevertheless been an increase of fifty in the accumulat- ed insane in the institution during the past year, and seventy-fve for the biennial period. Adding to this the increase at Norwich hospital for the same period gives us 245 as the ap- proximate increase in the state for the two years. The Norwich Hospital for the Insane was not opened fer the reception of patients until October 1O 1904, yet on September 30, it had a population of 120. Of that number forty-one were transferred from this institution on December 6, 1904 and the balance was drawn from the general ! population of the state. On Septem- Der 30, 1906, the population had risen to ITO, an increase of fifty during the second year of the biennial period oI 1 TO for the two years. This shows an | annual increase of 1925 In the number of insane to be cared for in the state The outlook is not an encouraging one. It implies that unless present conditions can be radically changed provision for an additional 100 or 12t insan persons Will have to be made each year.
 Discussing the question of insanity and its origin. Superintendent Noble quotes Lord Rosebery as saying that during the last fifty years the popula- ton of Great Britain has increased i 75 per cent. but lunacy has beer augmented by 290 per cent. There $50 OOO,0 900 has been invested in public 1 asylums and $15,000,O0 are spent an nually for the care of the insane. Tn 1 India, with population of 30O,0OO OOt who are subject periodically to terri ble scourges, such as famine, pesti- lence, etc, the percentage of insanity to population is almost infinltesimal as compared with Great Britain 1 China has a population of over 4O0,OOO,0OO and the struggle for exis- 1 tence is fierce and unceasing, yet in no part of the world is mental al!ena- ton so infreouent.
 It is established fact that there is a constant and alarming increase of ir sanity in our state as elsewhere which is year by year becoming a more grievous burden upon the tax payer. Expensive and extensive buildings must first be provided and the financial drain is then continued | by the cost of support There is scarcely state institution East, West North. or South, that is not over crowded. Texas is just completing new buildings in which to care for the rapidly increasing numbers of the in sane, and it is estimated that after filling the new buildings to the limit of their capacity there will still be more than 500 in excess of the accom-. modations available.
 The financial satesment shows that 1 the receipts for the period covered by | the report were about $925, ,OOO and the expenditures were about $S8O,OO0, leav- 1 ing $96,0O0 on hand. Various statistic