The Penn's Grove record., 1913-01-10
GOVERNOR TOLD
STATES SHAME
Morris Plains Hospital for the
Insane In Deplorable Condition
0vERCROWDED TO THE LIMIT
Report of Board Of Managers to Gov
ernor Wilson Gives Startling Facts
Measures Suggested and Urged.

Especial Trenton Correspondence
Trenton.-There was filed in the Of
fee of Governor Wilson, in the State
House. the annual report OF the Boar.l
of Managers and the officers of the
New Jersey State Hospital for Insane
at Morris Plains. 1t covers the year
ending October 81, last. ard is n of
the most interesting, not to say start
ling, of the great variety of State re-
ports which have been submitted this
year for gubernatorial perusal. Chief
ly because of the character of the
matters with which it deals, and ow-
ing to the vast amount of scientific
and detail work which they involve,
it is of greater length than many of
the reports of other State institutions,
but it is replete with important sug-
gestions and specific and general in
formation. 1t is signed by James NJ.
Buckley. D. D., president of the
board of Morristown; Patrick ]. Ryan
vice president. of Elizabeth, and by
John c. Eisele and George w. Jagle,
of Newark; DR.. John T. Gillison of
Paterson; DR.. John Kelvin, of Jersey
City, and Albert Richards and w. L.
R. Lind, of Dover. The subdivisions
OF the document are signed by DR..
Britton d. Evans, medical director,
and O. M. Bowen, warden, as we'll as
by the heads of other departments
which are treated at length in the
message to the Governor. and through
him to the Legislature.
Not Sufficient Housing.
1t is forcibly pointed out by the
managers that the institution is over
crowded to the extent OF housing more
than 700 patients than the buildings
ere supposed to contain, or than there
are suitable accommodations for TIL.
condition is characterized AS deplora-
BILE by both the managers and the
medical director, and the State is If
gently called upon to take some imme-
date remedial measures. Unless some
thing is done-and done soon-it is
declared, a calam1tous condition is
bound to be theresult, to the disgrace
~ IN oSoNC ~ 1AJa1l W D1llStLS dllu
their proper treatment, and a certain
lowering of the efficiency Of the insti-
tuition as shown by the number of
ca. IS in which cures or Improvement
are brought about. The percentage,
during the year of which the report
treats, was lower than in previous
years, a fact which is attributed sole
ly to the ~overcrowded condition If tie
hospital and to the impcssibility of
obtaining the best results under such
circumstances.
Sleeping on Cots.
There were on October 81 more
than 1890 patients in the hospital.
Its normal capacity is about 1000.
For 400 or more of the present popu-
lation of the institution the only
sleeping accommodations are cots
placed in the corridors each night.
These have to be removed every
morning so that the space necessary
for the patients during their waking
hours will not be curtailed. 1t is de-
clared that the condition is one
which can not be avoided without the
construction of another institution Of
the same kind, and a suggestion is
made that it be located in the southern
section of the State, where much
could be accomplished by outdoor
work and treatment for and of patti
ents. Under thu law all patients who
are presented at the hospital with
proper PAPERS must be received, SO
that the crowding las continued urtil
now it has practically reached its ut
most limit. There is an average in
crease of approximately a hundred a
year in the number of patients which
it is necessary to house. This is due
to a variety OF causes, of which the
growth of population and the conse-
quent increase in the number of in
sane to be cared for is the greatest,
though the fact that under the crowd
ed conditions cures or improvement
can not be 80 readily made and the
patients therefore remain a Longer
time in the institution also plays an
important part in bringing about the
situation complained Of.