The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-11-15
THE USE
OF WORD INSANE
Board Of Visitors Of Government
Hospital for the Insane Recon-
mends Change in Name.
MAKES IT'S ANNUAL REPORT

The board Of visitors Of the Govern
ment Hospital for the Insane has SUBJ
mftted to the Secretary OF the Interior
the 1fty-seventh annual report Of the
institution, covering the operations for
the year ended June 80. 1s12 The report
Is accompanied by tabular statements. re-
lating to finances. inmates supplies and
details Of the several departments 1t is
a full and complete review OF the hospI-
tai for the last fiscal year.
With reference to the number Of per-
sons cared for In the institution the re-
port says:
"on June 80 1919. there were remaining
in the hospital 2.se8 patients. as against
2.s62 remaining on June 90 1911. an In
crease of % over the previous year.
There were admitted during the year 73s
patients, an increase Of 110 over the pre-
vious year. The total number of patients
treated during the year was S5s6, an in
crease Of IS over the previous year. Tho
number Of discharges during the year,
Including deaths, was 6H, an increase Of
20 over the previous year. The daily
average population was 2Sn75, as against
2.Ssi for the previous year, decrease Of
laM.
When we note that the number OF ad-
having been exceeded only upon two pre-
vious occasions. namely, In 1905, when
the admissions were only 7s4. and in 1903
L when there were 768, the years fol-
lowing closely upon the Spanish-Ameri-
can war and the occupation OF the Phil
ippines, It win be seen that consider
ably more rapid increase In the popu-
lation Of the hospital IL TO be expected
from now on"
Sanitary Conditions.
Sanitary conditions are set forth as
follows:
The general health Of the institution
has been good on the whole. Two cases
of typhoid fever developed among the
employees of the hospital during the
year, both traceable to outside sources.
One, who was a hemophiIic, died. Two
cases of pellagra were admitted. One
died and the other case cleared up.
There has been considerable access OF
malaria in the institution recently ow-
ing to the filing In of the Anacostia
River Flats. An effort has been made to
guard against this as far as possible by
local attention to the grounds and by
screening of the windows and doors.
Continuous effort has been extended
to improve the clinical records OF the
hospital, and they have been placed
bers OF the stan, SO that this effort may
be consistently applied. Practically all
OF the cases that have been presented
at stan conferences since April /, 1905,
and discharged have been catalogued,
as well as the deaths which have been
presented for diagnosis
The report concludes with a long re-
cital OF the needs Of the institution,
among which is the proposed change In
the name which Will eliminate the word
insane. The special needs referred to
are new laws governing the commit
ments to the institution, the Gdvisability
OF continuing the care OF patients sent |
there from the District OF Columbia and
from the army and navy, and the pur- |
chase and improvement OF additional
lands to provide for the immediate and |
future growth OF the hospital.
The report Is submitted over the sig
natures OF George NJ. Sternberg, chair
man OF the board Of visitors, and Will
lam A. White. NJ. D., superintendent
and secretary OF the board.