The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-08

otherwise acquire local and through tele phone wires and use them for the trans mission of our telegraph business; and when necessary we will construct new
 
 count of their bad or uncleanly habits To remove the objection of flies, the com mission recommensd that the dining room and kitchen be at once effectively screened, and that every precaution be taken to exterminate flies and reaches from the buildings.
 Efficiency of Nurses.
 The commission made a very careful examination and study of the class of young men and women who are employed as nurses in this institution. The lives health, safety and comfort of the in- mates lie largely in their hands. We find them to be selected wholly from the white citizenship of Alabama and largely from the rural districts. Some of them have moderate education, but some are ignorant and at the time of their em- ployment are necessarily inexperienced and not wholly fitted for a trust of this importance. The competency and eff ciencY of these nurses necessarily depends upon the degree of intelligence and length of service, and the commission is of the opinion that the supervisors and nurses should have in expectancy raise in salary adequate for the institution to re- tain their services after they shall have become efficient, depending upon the de- gree of skill and humanity with whiG.- they have taken care of the inmates of the institution.
 The commission has exhaustively in quired into the charges of cruelty and mistreatment of the patients by the nurses. There has been much testimony adduced to show that several of the nurses, especially one Winter and one Holman, has been cruel and inhuman in the discharge of their duty, a large ma jorty of the criticisms directed against the management of this institution being based on the alleged misconduct of the two nurses mentioned No complaints have been registered against the conduct of large number of nurses on the qiuet wards of the Bryce hospital, but on what are called the violent and rough wards, such as 9 and IA, a number of complaints have been made. The com mission has carefully considered and weighed the testimony of a great number of witnesses, and have allowed wide range of the testimony in order to get al the truth of these charges
 A large number of the patients insane upon one or more subjects, but who nave a considerable degree of intelligence, were examined and cross examined with more than ordinary care, and their evidence carefully weighed in connection with physical facts and the testimony of pres ent and former nurses and employees and persons whose competency or trus1- worthiness was in no way attacked. The management of the institution including the doctors, supervisors and nurses now in charge as well as number who were formerly employed there, but who now live elsewhere, deny these charges of cruelty with the exception of minor or petty offenses in isolated cases of mis- treatment for which, when the report of such offense was brought to the atten- tion of the superintendent supervisor, the offending nurses were immediately discharged. After careful consideration of all the evidence, the commission is of the opinion that there have been cases of maltreatment and unauthorized pun- ishment in such wards as and 14 as well as a few offenses committed in some of the other wards, and some isolated cases on the farm connected with said in- stitution. The two nurses above men, toned, against whom many complaints have been lodged. had been dismissed prior to this investigation, one for abus- ing a patient and the other on the charge of being under the Influence of liquor.
 Can Abuse His Trust.
 The commission is of the opinion that too much care cannot be exercised in the selection of nurses entrusted with tue authority and power to use the cross hall as a means of confinement for a disor- derly patient, and that they should have the most careful supervision in the ex- ercise of this power, for the inconsider ate nurse having spite or i'll will to an alleged violent unruly or disagreeabIe patient. can abuse his trust by placing the patient in a cross hall when perhaps, in fact 1t should not have been done.
 Some of the nurses have been charged with committing violence upon the pei sons of a number of the inmates of the institution. which it is charged resulted in inc death of the patients. The commits sion has exhaustively investigated all of these charges and find that the patients, Rondurant. Due, Harrison, Paulk and Mes seneer did not come to their death other wise than from natural causes, and that the alleged patient, Mrs. Allen, referred to in the testimony of some of the wit nesses. had no existence in fact.
 About Hines Case.
 As to the Hines case. it is charged that he met his death by violence at the hands of the nurses The commission is of the opinion that on account of the discrep- ancies in their evidence and the physical facts of the case, Hines did not meet his death in the manner testified to by ire nurses of the institution. The comi1is- sion examined several alleged eye-wt- nesses to the transaction, and are in- formed that there are several witnesses who would be able to give valuable testl-