The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-04-25
MEDIEVAL HORRORS EXIST
IN ILLINOIS COUNTY AIMS
HOUSES FOR THE INSANE

aims house 10 receive any Insane man
who becomes unruly, service ~ mas
performed for others.
4. b. cause, today there are aims
housese In Illinois where steel hand
cuffs, barred cells, cages and pad-
locks are In service, when required, 70
restrain the insane. Imagine an In
sane girl 20 years OH locked In a
steel cage.
5. Because in 35 counties the aims
houses have no bathtubs and IN q
number OF others the water supply !s
deficient and tho sanitary conditions
necessarily deplg rahl4.
Capitalization and Scandals.
6. Because, in Is aims houses
there Is no effective separation Of ne
sexes resulting III such scandals as
The birth Of iiiegitimate children by
mentally irr sponsihle women.
Z. Because, In certain alms houses
insane persons arc punished physical
lly 10 make them behave.
s. Because, in 54 almshoases there
| is 70 provision to separat9 the m
sane from the plan paupers.
8. Because. GA aims houses have
no Are pre- ection.
10. Because, In n counties the care
of the aims house population is let
by contract, substantially on the basis
Of the lowest bid, system which
tends to reduce all outlays to the
lowest notch and to leave human mis-
cry at the mercy Of human greed.
| II. Because, same Of the insane are
detained without having been tried
and committed.
10. Because only primitive toilet
facilities are provided in some Of the
aims houses and proper ventilation
and he~.ing are not proyid d.
13. Because, somo Of the aims
houses are flthy and overrfp with
vermin.
A. Because, any insane resident OF
Illinois should have just as good care
as any other insane resid mt which Is
impossible under varying county
care.
Is. Because the county is too small
governmental unit, with too re
| stricted resources, to grapple sue
cessfully with SO great problem.
To amplify the Is reasons jus
stated and to fortify them by givinf
specific instances, the report con
tinues, condensations of reports from
36 Illinois counties VIII re conditions
are least satisfactory are given a
this point in the report.
| The d fficulties to be contendet
with in the care of the insane II
| aims houa maintained by counties
will be more readily understood fro1
these brief descriptions of the al
verse conditions under which some
of these institutions are being con
Quoted.
Boy is Son Of Mothers Father.
This report of the inspector re
! sarding DeKalb county, says in part
NO attempt is made during the da.
to keep the inmates separate. Sam
and insane men and women mingi,
together The superintendent inform
ed me that a little over a year ag
an insane girl gave birth to child il
the alsmhouse, but they could no
find out who was the father of tn
child. The mother was sent to Ban
onville, the baby 10 the Ch ldden'
!, Home and Aid Society and the ma
ter was hushed mp. ] told the supe'
intendent that with the existing coud
tions it might occur again, to whic
h. replied he should not be surprise
!, if it did, brit he would try TO preven
IT."
There is a hoy 12 years old at tn
: | aims house He is an idiot. has
: weak spine. is unable to stand or wal
a step. and unable TO talk except whe
aroused to anger. when he swear
fearfully. The report says: "Th
, boy was born to young girl an
:, her father is the father of this chill
= The superintendent said he was 10.
: on the place, but before his time an
/, that the authorities did not do an.
thing about it.