The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1914-07-30
THE Sad CASE OF
MRS. HILDA BOLIN
ELMER ADAMS, WELL KNOWN
FERGUS FALLS CITIZEN,
EXPLAINS ACCIDENT.
WRONG IMPRESSION EXISTS
OFFICERS OF INSTITUTION NOT
TO BE CRITICISED FOR
HER DEATH.

Herald readers will recall the sad
death of Mrs. Hilda Bolin of Douglas
county, by scalding in bath tub at
the Hospital for the Insane at Fergus
Falls June 10Th.
The case has been given wide pub
licity in the public press and many
erroneous and damaging statements
have been made.
Hon. Elmer E. Adams, former
member of the Minnesota legislature,
president of the First National Bank,
at Fergus Falls, and also president of
the Fergus Falls Journal Printing Co.
has made very thorough investiga-
ton of the case from every angle and
has arrived at the conclusion that this
institution and the management have
been unjustly criticised in some quar-
tiers. Mr.. Adams has made a detail
ed report of his findings in the fol-
lowing interesting Communication:
To the Editor: "For the past ten
days the Fergus Falls State Hospital
for the Insane and it's management
have been subjected to most unfair
and unjust criticism by certain news
papers, and in the hope of laying the
matter fairly before the people of this
state who are not interested in it I
am taking the trouble to make this
statement. l do not claim that the
statements made by some of the press
have been made with malice. There
was a mishap or unfortunate occur
renee on which to base some of the as
sertions made. But the segrated
statements and features which were
given undue prominence have left in
the minds of the public an erroneous
and wrong impression. The great
harm done through this course is not
to the officers, physicians and nurses
of the Hospital for the Insane, but it
is to the people of the state who have,
or may have, friends whom it is nee
essary to send to the Hospital for
treatment. The very nature of hos
pital for the insane is such that it is
easy to prejudice the public mind
against it, and one of the great prob
lens which the state has had to over
come is to convince the people of the
State that hospital for the insane
is place to go to for treatment rath-
er than one to be avoided. While the
hospitals for the insane are not seek
ing business, nevertheless they do
want to have the people of the state
who may have to send friends and rel
atives for treatment, believe that they
get as good care as it is possible for
the state to give them.
"On account of woman patient be-
ing burned in overheated water while
in bath the impression has been Gre
ated that an insane patient was tied
in bath tub, covered up SO that she
could not escape, neglected by nurse
and scalded so that the flesh and skin
fell from her body ana that after cal
ling in vain she died from this treat
ment. I have taken the pains to in
vestigate this case fully and heard the
testimony given at the hearing by the
coroner, the physicians and the nurses
and these are the facts i'll the case:
"Mrs. Hilda Bolin, a married wom-
an of % years of age, the wife of a
farmer and the mother of five child
rem, was brought to the Fergus Falls
Hospital for the Insane about six
weeks ago from Douglas county. Her
mother had been insane. and, think,
had been at one time a patient of the
hospital. The medica! evidence shows
that Mrs. Bolin, all the time she was
in the hospital, was suffering from
Bright's Dinease of the kidneys, and
had she not been suffering from this
disease the injuries which she receiv-
ed from the overheated water would
not, in the opinion Of the physicians,
have caused her death.
Gone of the recognized forms of
treatment of the insane when they are
wild and excited is to give them long
baths. These are two kinds, one
where the water is allowed to flow into
the tub continuously. maintaining a
uniform temperature. and the other
way is to fill the tub aid maintain the
heat by letting in warmer water from
time to time Tn fhA hath rooms where |