Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1907-01-11
.LUNACY COMMISSION
At HOSPITAL

HI llUDl llHl
The lunacy commission visited thu
hospital for the insane at this place
Tuesday and conducted thorough
investigation, not only as relates tt
overcrowding and the condition of the
buildings, but also as to management
the pay and treatment of employe:
and as to whether or not the State i!
not being defrauded by the adm ting
of patients into the hospital as indig
mt insane who have estates or rela
tives who are responsible for theil
maintenance. Some deplora BE fact!
were unearthed and it is quite evident
that radical recommendations will be
made along at least several of the lines
of inquiry.
OF the lunacy commission the fol-
lowing gentlemen were present. Hon.
Henry F. Walton, chairman. Hon. Ed.
ward Il. Beidelman of Dauphin; Sen,
ators Milton Hiedelbaugh of Lancaster,
and James f. Woodward of Allegheny
City. OF the board of hospital trustees
the following were present: I. X.
Grier, Esq. H. NJ. Schoch, Hon.
James Foster. of Danville; DR.. B. H.
Detwiler, of Williamsport; Howard
Lyon of, Hughesville, and G. r. Van
Allen, of Northumberland. DR.. H. L.
Orth. superintendent of the hospital
for the insane at Harrisburg, was also
present. Newspaper men were on hand
as follows: Fred A. Long, Thomas f.
Logan and Ben X. Raleigh, represent
ing respectively the Philadelphia
"North American" the Enquirer, !"
and the Evening Bulletin. A rep.
resentative of the Intelligencer was
also present John r. X. Scott, Esq.
of Philadelphia. accompanied the COM
mission as attorney. Harris Lightly,
of Philadelphia was stenographcr. In
addition to the above the county COM
missioners and the local board of poor
directors were present by request.
The commission did not arrive at
the hospital until nearly IL O'Clock
and as soon as practicable got down
to work. Every inquiry was conducted
in the most searching manner. There
was no mincing of words, nor was
there any special consideration shown
for the standing or position of the per-
son questioned. The commission had
no fault to find with the management,
nor with the capability of the board
hospital. aside from the lack of room,
that impressed the commission was
the antiquated type of building.
1t will interest the people of Dan
vile to know that the big institution
here, which, viewed from the outside,
is the object of much local pride, was
Tuesday pronounced the worst, the
most obsolete and Objectionable OF all
the hospital buildings in the State.
Chairman Walton in an interview
with the Intelligencer representa-
tive. after the investigation, express
ed his disapproval in these words:
"The building is wholly unfit for the
purpose and l would recommend that
the whole structure be torn down, and
replaced by new buildings construct
ed according to modern ideas. l would
recommend that the building be torn
down wing by wing and the new
structure completed in sections, to
take over the patients gradually "
He regretted hat the temporary
buildings for which an appropriation
was made by the last Legislature had
not been erected. These structures, he
said, embodied modern ideas and
would have improved conditions very
much.
At noon the lunacy commission,
board of trustees and all Others pres
ent had dinner at the institution. Dr.
Meredith, the superintendent, was the
only witness examined during the
morning session. The bulk of the work
was done in the afternoon.
DR.. Meredith made very good i'm
preston on the commission, revealing
that he was laboring conscientiously
with considerable odds against him to
care for and benefit the insane charges
committed to his care. In answer to
questions, DR.. Meredith stated that he
is 54 years Of age, that he is graduate
of the University of Pennsylvania,
class of n. He has been connected
with the institution for twenty eight
years and has been superintendent for
eighteen years. His salary at present
is $4,000 annually, having been raised
from $4,000 about year ago.
The capacity of the institution, DR..
Meredith said, is equal to 500 male
patients and $50 females. AT present
there are 6S3 men and 613 women at
the instituation. As result of the
overcrowding the patients sleep in the
corridors and other unsuitable places.
The chairman explained that 1t had
come to the ears of the commission
that large numbers Of patients are
committed to the hospitals of the State
as INDECENT insane when they have
estates or relatives who are response
bla for THAR ROAMING IL was the in
tent of the law. he said, that no
person is to be committed in this way
except actual paupers. AS the result of
the loose and illegal way in which in
sane are committed to the hospitals
the State is annually defrauded out of
large sums of money. Inasmuch as the
commission is determined to get at the
bottom of the matter the request is