The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-02-06
PLANS FOR REORGANIZATION,
DIR. HERRING SUGGESTS SOME
CHANGES AT ASYLUM.
No Very Radical Changes Required i'm
Some NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Place
Desirable.

pert, says that he has ever kept in
mind the fact that, first of all, such
a plant must be practical and at the
same time sufficiently adequate and
elastic to meet all future require
ments, and in the second place it
should be within reasonable financial
limits. DR.. Herring first considers
the general plan of arrangement of the
buildings and the distribution of the
patients. The internal organization is
discussed under a separate head.
The report declares that the most
evident step at the present time is
to remove all Of the negro insane, the
idiots and imbeciles, the tuberculosis
and pellagrous patients to State Park,
He says by doing this that there
will lie plenty Of room for the white
insane at the old asylum for many
years to come. I'm fact" he says,
"by developing the farm colony idea,
there will never be the overcrowding
Of these buildings that exists at the
present time"
THE first thing that is absolutely
necessary in a hospital for the insane
is a psychopathic reception hospital
building. This is the active medical
centre which controls and stimulates
the life of the entire institution. Here
the patients who enter the hospital are
first received, thoroughly examined,
and, if need be, detained for treat
ment. All patients who are actually
disturbed receive in this building hy-
drO-therapeutic treatment and any
other treatment indicated; in other
words they are treated as sick individ-
uals. In this building are also located
laboratories, examining rooms, operat-
ing rooms and every facility needed
for the proper treatment Of the men,
tally sick.
I'm this connection 1 would also
suggest that an outpatient department
be inaugurated in this building, for
the purpose Of doing an important
work in preventive psychiatry. The
close proximity Of the hospital to the
city renders it especially adaptable to
this new field Of medicine. The build
ing which could be used for this pur-
pose is the old asylum building, the
walls of which are substantially con-
structed and the general outline of the
building we'll adapted to this purpose.
THE internal arrangement will, of
course, be changed and practically an
entire new interior installed. The de-
tails concerning the arrangement of
the interior of this building will have
to be taken up later with an archi-
tect. We would make p vision for
100 patients, more Of whom would re.
main in this building for any great
length Of time. Leaving this building
for the present, we will consider next
the central building, and this descrip-
ton will apply to both wings of this
building.
No very radical changes need be-
made in these buildings, so far as
their general arrangement is con-
cerned. Of course nearly all Of the
buildings throughout the entire insti
tuition require new floors, and an en-
tire new sanitary equipment and new
heating. A number Of small rooms
would be thrown into one large room.
Attractive day rooms and dormitories
would result from abolishing a large
number Of cells and small rooms.
The Encouragement of the busi-
ness office in the central portion of
this building will also be necessary.
THE Parker building, which is now
occupied by the negro men, will have
to- be extensively renovated and will
be used to relieve the congestion now
existing in the wards of the white
men. The Parker annex, a two-story
brick building, will be cOverted into
an industrial shop and placed under
the supervision of a competent teach
er. In this building the patients will
make broomS, mattresses, rugs. shoes.
baskets and great many other things
necessary in large institution. This
would be one of the most valuable de-
partments, bot. from a therapeutic
and financial standpoint. Without
building Of this kind no hospital is
complete.
THE buildings for the women need
not be changed, except for the gen
eral repairs as suggested on the
mems side, but there is need for
new building for convalescent wo-
men. A part of this building could
he used as sewing room for wo-
men. Here the women would engage.
under the direction Of competent