Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-10-10

tiat ul lhC bhCCl Ill bSlSluhs
The system in vogue there con-
sists in no restraint but that
of kindly surveillance except in dan
gerous cases. The colony is in vii
lage surrounding a church dedicated
to st. olympic, the patroness of the
insane.
The insane patients are not referred
to as mad. Always they are "the
SICK" the malades. They are boarded
IL the homes of the inhabitants ir Or
der that they may enjoy the freedom
and intercourse of family life, the
benefit Of which is one of the funda-
mental ideas Of the system. Nearly
every house in the colony contains
one or two "malades" than two
not being allowed by the medical au-
thority in chief.
This fact makes a visit to Gheel
somewhat weird" says writer in the
Queen. "One constantly meets pa
tients and never knows whether one
is speaking to a sane person or not.
AS / was taken round by the wife of a
nurse / was very probably taken for
the newest arrival in the colony.
Enjoy Perfect Freedom.
Among Gheers mentally afflicted
population are people from all parts
Of Europe-England, France, Holland
and Belgium all send patients here.
My guide kept pointing out to
me patient in the street, or house
where dwelt one or more of the
malades.
"A woman standing here. man
walking there, an old man with a
scythe returning from harvesting-all
were aliens, but all were enjoying
perfect freedom, walking about like
the rest Of the world, working II they
liked, or resting If they liked, though
all were known and looked upon with
kindly commiseration as sick in mind
If not in body.
In the railway station l noticed a
man walking up and down very i'm.
patiently waiting for the booking of.
fee to open; he. too, like SO many
others. was mot quite all there" and
this was one of his daily customs.
believe a ticket of some kind
was given him, and he walked away
quite happy, as the patients in this
queer colony are all known to the In.
habitants and their idiosyncracies In.
dulged with kindly tolerance as far
as possible
my guide. too. seemed quite amused
when l expressed fear of accidents,
seeing that the station and lines, both
Of the tram and railway, are open.
found out afterward that there had
been up till then but four fatal acci-
dents to the patients on the railway at
Gheel, one of which was due to a sud.
den fit of suicidal mania. Epileptic
patients. by the way, seem to improve
here. and in twenty years, out of no
fewer than 5000, only once had there
ever been an attempt on life, and that
not q serious one.
ut must not, however, be thought
that the dangerous patients are al.
lowed perfect freedom at Gheel. On
the contrary, these are kept under re-
straint In the Hospice, where they are
cared for by the kindly, sweet faced
Sisters Of Charity. But confinement
Is only resorted to in those cases
where 1t is absolutely necessary.
"The history of the Belgian system
Is interesting, as the treatment of the
insane in the manner sketched is pure
iy Belgian both in its inception and
Its realization. 1t has been copied by
other European nations, as we'll as
America, but England has held aloof.
though Scotland tried It some years
ago. The colony has been in existence