Evening star., 1908-01-18
INCREASE IN INSANITY
REPORT SUBMITTED TODAY BY
SPECIAL COMMISSION.
Authorities Advised of Conditions in
the District-Cost of Main
tanning Patients.

In a special report to the Commission
ers today upon an investigation of the
care and treatment OF the insane OF the
District of Columbia. Drs. w. l.. Robins,
w p Compton and ]. c. Simpson de-
clared that insanity in this city has in
creased to considerable extent In the
last ten years, and they strongly recon-
.mended the advisabiity of securing funds
for the establishment OF a separate m
stitution for the care and treatment OF
the insane of the city owing to the over.
crowded condition of the Government
Hospital for the Insane.
The committee said the care or the
insane patients and the other conditions
In general would be far more satisfactory
II the District had its own insane asylum.
The committee believes that the Gov
ernment Hospital for the Insane should
be left for the insane of the army and
navy. as it was originally intended to be.
an, for other classes coming under the
care of the federal government, such as
the Marine Hospital Service, etc.
The committee believes the Districts
asylum for the insane should be under
the control of a superintendent. and that
carefully selected medical stan be ap-
pointea by the commissioners o,,,a to Whom I'm
responsible for the most scientific and
humane treatment of all patients COM
/, lmitted to their care.
In January 1906. the Commissioners
!. asked the board of charities. upon the
suggestion of Commissioner Mcfarland,
4io make thorough investigation and re-
port on the question of the care OF the
insane of the District of Columbia. with
a view to recommendations to Congress
for the Improvement of conditions.
March 20. 1906. the Commissioners ap-
pointed the commission mined to furnish
ca dvice on the subject to the board OF
chg rites. which dtd not then contain a
,physician in it's membership.
Individual Report.
DR.. W. L. Robins submitted an iEdi-
vidual report last September which was
referred TO the board of charities, and
That body has been awaiting the further
report of the three physicians before pre-
pairing its report to the Commissioners.
although in the meantime it has been col
lecting data from all sources and from all
1over the United States. Today the Com
misSioners. upon receipt Of the conclu-
sions of the three physicians referred
them to the board of charities. and the
board informed Commissioner Macfarland
that it will soon submit its report.
In his individual report to the Com
missioners several months ago which
was printed in detail in The Star at the
time. DIR. Robins declared the belief that
there are persons within the walls Of
the Government Hospital for the Insane
who should not be there. He recommend
ed that the Commissioners establish a
pSycNOpdlnlC nOSpllal OF pdNllOn TOT the
care and treatment of acutely insane and
suspected insane persons of the District.
thereby giving that most unfortunate of
all classes the benefit of the latest and
best treatment known to science.
Reports Submitted Today.
The reports of Drs. Compton and Simp-
son. which were handed to the Commits
sioners today. are purely of a statistical
nature. They furnish long tables o. fig
lures showing the number of insane hospH
tails of the United States and the ratio
of insane and population. and the in
creases in the number of insane and pop
ulation. They furnished letters from the
officials OF the various state asylums con-
tanning detailed information regarding the
care and treatment of the insane and
upon the cost per capita of maintaining
these institutions.
According to the table on the hospitals
and insane patients there has been an
increase in the disease throughout the
United States. No reasons or sugges-
tions are offered. however why the
malady has increased to the extent noted
Regarding the cost of maintaining the
institutions the committee reports that
with but one exception the District of
Columbia pays more for the maintenance
of it's insane than any of the states
enumerated. The average cost per capita
in the District for maintaining insane
persons is 500.
Tine report concludes with a table show
ing the daily average number OF District
of Columbia patients at the Government
Hospital for the Insane. During the past
year. according to this table the daily
average was ] 259.