Evening star., 1909-06-21
INSANE PATIENTS FARE BADLY
REMARKABLE CONDITION IN
ASYLUM IN LOWER AUSTRIA.
81, 100000 Allowed by Government
for Institution Where Brutality
Is Practiced by Attendants.

Special Cahlegram to The Star.
VIENNA. June 21.-A man named
Czontos. an attendant at the Steinhof
Asylum. which is the largest in the mon
archy, situated not far from Vienna, and
tenanted by patients from the whole of
lower Austria, was tried recently before
the criminal court here for ill-treatment
of a patient named Feigl. Czontos' brut-
ality reached such a pitch that the pa
tient died Easter Monday, causing at that
time a great sensation. The result of the
trial displayed the management of the
Steinhof Asylum, a building originally
erected as a model institute of its kind
in a most unfavorable light. and the af-
fair forms a general topic of discussion.
The magnificent architecture and tech.
nical perfection of this sanatorum, upon
whose erection no less than $4,000
was expended present a striking contrast
to the internal mismanagement which af-
fected the welfare of the unfortunate IN
sane committed to its care
For the treatment of its 5000 inmates
only nineteen doctors were available and
the male attendants appear to have con-
sisted of men without the slightest know--
edge and minus the necessary forbear-
ance essential to their service They
received upon their arrival no preliminary
instruction, and il was left to their dis
cretion To read or to neglect the printed
rules of the service. Czontos asserted
that when he came on duty at s in the
morning he was neither spoken to by the
director nor by any of the doctors, but
proceeded at once to commence his work.
When ii was necessary to quiet the
more excited patients ice cold packing
was employed without medical orders.
The deceased patient Feigl was thirty
years old, and an assistant book binder
by trade. He usually got into a highly
excited condition ev.ry night.
Blows From Twisted Sheet.
On the fatal occasion Czontos attempt
ed the ice packing, which Feigl resisted.
Thereupon Czontos forced him to the
ground by blows from twisted sheet.
brutally ill-treated him and then drew
the sheet so tightly round his larynx that
the cartilage was broken in several
places He then dragged him about the
moor, calling out to other attendants:
Now the fellow will be at length quiet"
He next threw the unfortunate man upon
a bed, where he remained without any
attention until the morning, when the
head attendant. arrived, and summoned
the doctors, who. however, saw that all
medical aid would be in vain, as the man
was dying.
1t was proved that the country pays
annually for the support of this institu-
ton $1.sO0.GOO but that the attendants are
"EelcHeuiN pdld, ana are on QutS from
80 in the morning until in the follow
ing morning. that they have INSULT
cient sleep to enable them to perform
their ardouous duties. The doctors sleep
in pavilion, where the worst cases are
kept, but this is eight to ten minutes dis
tance from the main building. so that
when patients become unmanage blet the
attendants are obliged themselves to at
tempt their treatment. Many of these
unfortunate creatures were formerly
hI1f nd hoir
ment' usually consisted of beating The
patients called as witnesses acknowledge
ed this.
The court sentenced Czontos for Sc
we're assault to six months hard labor
The mildness of the sentence is strongly
criticised.