The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-03-04
To the General Assembly Of the State
OF South Carolina:

To the General Assembly Of the State
Of South Carolina:
The undersigned committee has In
accordance with your instructions
contained in concurrent resolutions,
House No. 1913, Senate No. 571; thor
oughly gone into the actual and sup
posed troubles existing at the State
Hospital for the Insane.
The evidence, which is voluminous,
is attached hereto-herewith report
ed as the basis Of our findings with
the request that it be printed along
with this report in permanent form.
Cause Of Discord.
We find the cause Of much Of the
discord, trouble and friction leading
up to and resulting in this investi-
cation to be fundamental:
State Constitution, 1895, Article
XII, Par. 2.
1.-THE regents for the State Hospital
for the Insane and the superintend-
ent thereof, who shall be physician,
shall be appointed by the governor,
by and with the advice and consent
Of the Senate. All other physicians,
officers and employees Of the hospital
shall be appointed by the regents,
unless otherwise ordered by the gen.
eral assembly"
Hence, the superintendent has no
voice in the selection or dismissal Of
any subordinate. He becomes purely
an advisory officer, only when advice
is sought, and has no effective con-
troll or authority, resulting in such a
condition that effective work and
labor Of q unified staff Is impossible.
In our opinion the staff should be
selected by the superintendent by and
with the consent Of the board Of re-
gents, thereby insuring full harmony
between the superintendent and his
staff and all acceptable to the board
of regents.
The superintendent to enforce duty
and discipline should also have the
power and authority to suspend any
member Of his staff for cause, sub
ject to appeal, to the board OF re-
gents, where such suspended staff Of
acer should have available all the
tights Of trial guaranteed to persons
accused in the courts OF this State.
efficiency OF Administration.
The committee finds the admins
tration Of the colored wards, (male
and female) inefficient. The physi-
clans employed to look after these
wards live, and are resident physi-
clans In the city of Columbia and en-
gage in general practice. On Decem-
Der 21, 1913, there were four hun
dred and thirteen colored males In
that ward, and there were treated
during the yeor 1913 five hundred
and seventy-two. At the same date,
December 13, 1913, there were three
hundred and fifteen colored females
in the ward, and there were treated
during the year 1914, four hundred
and sixty-three.
The staff officers in charge Of these
two wards live in the city Of Colum-
bia, and they spend from one hour to
four hours (more frequently one
hour than four hours) per day at the
Hospital for the Insane, and this cov-
ers the time spent in answering cor
respondence relative to their depart
ment and patients, hence, it Is man
ifest that such a supervision and in
spection can be only perfunctory,
with the evident result that the care
Of these unfortunate patients is
largely left to ignorant colored
nurses In charge.
It Is our opinion that the staff Of
ficer In charge of any ward depart
ment In the State Hospital for the
Insane should live and reside within
the enclosure and be on duty and
quickly available at any time both
day and night and give his undivided
time and attention to the helpless un-
fortunates entrusted to his care and
guardianship.
Examination Of Patients.
It appears from the evidence of the
physician OF the colored female ward
that no specific examination Is made
as to the character of insanity and
the stage it has reached ald the ply
sical condition Of the patient on her
admission to the ward. The state
ment contained in the commitment
papers originating in the Court OF
Probate and the general conclusions
obtained from looking them over
generally determine the line OF treat
ment adopted. This policy ignores
the fact that the design Of the State
is to restore all patients not incur
able and helpless, and that the first
step in reaching such a conclusion is
to determine by painstaking diagno.
sis: