New-York tribune., 1911-01-15

given respecting insane relatives or an
cestors that the patient may have had. II
he smokes or uses liquors or drugs, IL must
be mentioned and described.
Every deposition has to be sworn to
before a notary. whose fee is rs cents. and
then the application is submitted 20 a
Judge or referee appointed by that Judge.
before whom the patient must appear. 10
expedite the removal OF a sufferer and
prevent undue excitement many a kind
hearted Judge has visited the patient In his
home. Judge may also waive personal
service In the interest OF a patient who
he knows would be injured by IT, For the
same reason he may serve papers, giving
three days notice OF commitment. to the
patient. upon the custodians OF the insane
person instead OF upon the patient. The
serving of papers upon a person for whom
an order OF commitment Is desired IL done
by a Judge who feels some doubt as 10
the patients insanity, in order that he
may have time in which TO contest his
commitment II he so desires. When a pa
tient Is committed TO any institution. pub
Tic or private. copy of the medical GER
tifcate in his case Is sent TO Albany and
fled with the Commission in Lunaey.
II patient or any one OF his friends
wishes 10 appeal from the order OF COM
mitment he may do so within ten days,
appealing to a justice or the Supreme
Court other than the one who made the
order, and giving security for the costs
OF trial by jury In case the original or
der Is sustained
A patient who relapses during parole
al ha paturnAd usifhAllf
the fornality of commitment, and the As
sociatien for the Prevention Of INSANITY
urges that paroles should extend over at
least three months. In this city, when an
insane person is picked up on the street,
It becomes the duty Of the Commissioner of
Charities to commit him, and number of
relatives and guardians Of insane persons
impose that duty upon him or some other
public official because they do not want
10 undertake IT themselves.
Think OF bringing a sick persen-es-
pecially one suffering from mental excite
ment-to a hospital in patrol wagon un-
der the care of a policeman! u Is hor-
rible, Barbarous-" exclaimed Or. NJ. s.
Gregory who has charge OF the psyche
pathic department Of Bellevue, comment
ing upon the handling of the insane. Pa
tients brought 20 me in that way were
Wild frantic, and the condition was very
bad for them"
Ii was upon DR. Gresory's recommenda-
ton that Bellevue introduced a few weeks
ago a special ambulance service for the
insane.
with this ambulance" explained DIR.
Gregory, "are man and a woman nurse
who know how 10 handle the insane. The
man is special officer, with deputy po-
lice powers Sometimes a patient re- ses
To come, when the ma nurse has power
10 bring him against his will but i'm such
a way that the patient does not suffer by
reason op unframed handling and the idea
II at he is being taken into custody. In
such cases the deputy officer has TO report
TO lis police station that he has taken a
person to the hospital under duress.
"It may be coincidence. for 1t is too
soon TO draw conclusions in the matter
hut since the inception of this special am
buIance service have not had a single
violent or noisy patient brought TO me.
Think how it would startle and shock
a sane woman who was iii to have po-
ltCemdn appear III iV'hi W NoAis nv
forcihlv away. How much worse then,
for an insane woman-for the insane are
always suspicious The patient is excited
and recovery is retarded, II the condition
is not even aggravated, because in mental
diseases much more than in physical, are
their course and cure dependent upon first
handling. our whole idea and effort is TO
handle a case as early as possible when
there is a chance Of cure. The trouble is
that through belief in and fear engendered
by erroneous tales about hospitals for the
insane people will not come or bring their
sick until the disease is far advanced In
IT'S course. That is the reason why have
this clinic for out-patients, 10 induce peo-
ple TO come themselves and bring relatives
when the first symptoms appear, so that
the work Of cure may begin at once and