Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-01-12

and did not conform to the law as found
in the Statute.
SECOND. There was a shortage of at
tendants, there being some halls with
40 patients with only one attendant and
during the meal hour these patients were
transferred to another hall, making a to-
tai of so patients on one hall with one
attendant.
THIRD. Patients were put into ''hoi
packs without an examination by g
physician. he giving the oruer over tnt
telephone Patients were also placed ir
continuous baths for hours without ar
examination Of their physical condition
by the physician in charge. Many abuses
in this line have come to my attention
since the hearing One large noble fell
low was tied in one of these baths fol-
hours with the attendant sitting at the
head of the tub chewing tobacco. Every
once in while the attendant would spit
into the patients face and because he
protested the attendant pushed his head
under the water with an insulting re-
mark.
! nave itdEHcu Ok d 6IGdt il6iy GdSGs
of abuse in addition to those that were
brought to your attention during the
hearing. A great many people could give
information If it were not for the fact
that they do not want the publicity OF
the cases.
FOURTH. Forty-fve patients were
bathed in the bath tub in one and one
half hours and 1t took IS minutes to fill
and drain the tub. If each patient had
separate water 1t would have taken nine
hours to fill and drain the tub, conse-
quently five and six patients must have
been bathed in one water, patients with
infectious diseases and all others in the
same water, and when the water became
dirty 1t was drained off and the scabs
and dirt brushed out with broom.
There were also rs patients drinking
from one tin cup in the bath room, pa
tients with infectious diseases, and very,
very unclean patients all drinking from
the one cup.
FIFTH. The State of Maine with a
valuation of s451 100000 was shipping and
burying it's dead in plain pine boxes. the
same kind of a box tnat the casket is
put into when person is buried. Some
of the boxes were lined and some were
not lined.
SIXTH. The superintendent was ex-
travagant. The State was furnishing
him gasoline and chauffeur. and his car
was driven over 5000 miles the past sea-
son. If he had driven his car 100 miles
each day he would have been away from
the institution over 60 days. The asss-
tant superintendent. DR.. Vosberg, was
reported to have driven his car equally
as far as the past season, or 5000 miles.
The superintendent was taking fees in
his Office at the Augusta State Hospital
for examining patients who were COM
mitted.
The superintendent employed and al
lowed by consent of the trustees two
persons to be responsible for the lives of
of over 43o female patients to compound.
care and prescribe medicine against the
laws of the State. neither of them being
registered or even having passed the
examination of the State Board of Regis
tration of Medicine, and the head farmer
was getting within s1Oc as much as both
of these doctors.
SEVENTH-The farm under the man
agement OF the head farmer, Mr.. Talbot,
and direction of the superintendent shows
a loss of over $500. To show the loss
of the farm outside of the 18 cows.
% heifers and three bulls which were
killed on account OF disease (although the
meat of two of the animals was eaten
at the hospitaD we should deduct $3.50.
which would leave a net loss OF $500 In
round numbers. This is outside Of re-
pairs or the 5000 spent for renovdling the
COW barns. There was no money paid
out on the piggery the past year.
EIGHTH. I cannot refrain from call
ing your attention. to the following taken