The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-22
Loose Methods of County OFF,
GERS Scored by Doctor.
ANNUAL REPORT IN TODAY
763 Patients Discharged and
1856 Inmates Died.
Kansas FOrgets She Has an
Eight-HOur Law.

| to study mental disorders among KAN
| sas insane if the state legislature
adopts recommendation today by DR..
T. c. Biddle, superintendent of the
Topeka state hospital Loose methods
| among county officials in sending In
| digent detectives to state hospitals for
| insane were severely criticised by
| Doctor Biddle in his biennial report
| to the state board of control. The re-
| port shows 1929 inmates in the state
| hospital and the admission of 500 pa
| tients during the two years ending
| June 80
| The Biddle report coverg nearly 100
| typewriter pages, makes many rec
| concentrations to the state legislature
| and covers every phase of the hospital
management during the two year
period. In the two years the hospital
discharged 1853 patients. while 336 in
mates died The death rate was SIS
per cent
Among the patients admitted in the
two years, alcohol and drugs were
responsible for "a cases of insanity,
or nearly 4.33 per cent of the total.
Two years ago alcohol and drugs
caused about three per cent of the
insanity in the Topeka and OSaWato
ME hospitals.
Effect of Alcohol.
DIR. BiddIe's report shows alcohol
| caused % cases of insanity, alcohol
and drugs, 4 cocaine, 2; morphine
8; and narcotic drugs, 2. Domestic
troubles were the cause of II of 500
cases of insanity; love affairs caused
two; jealousy, L; fear of poisoning, 4;
crop failures, 8; religion, Is; grief, 81;
loss of money, l overstudy. 5; neg
| lect 1.
In his report, DIR. Biddle takes a
free swing at the state civil service
law. He refers to the legislation as
loves labor lost so far as the To-
peka state hospital is concerned.
Trouble in Nurses.
Constant trouble is experienced by
the hospital in maintaining an eff
Gent corps of nurses and attendants
| This is due to the fact that Kansas
pays the smallest wages OF any state
in the country, Doctor Biddle declares.
He urges a better wage scale, the
| building of a nurses home and better
| ruent of working conditions Higher
salaries for members of the official
staff are also urged. The men receive
paid in other states.
Forget Eight-Hour Day.
The eight-hcur day is also forgotten
by the state, Doctor Biddle points out
He mentions in a passing sort of way
just so the legislature may media tie
that the nurses on day shifts at the
Topeka hospital go to work at Sis
a. m. and stay on the job until D. m.
Then the state generously allows the
girls one-half day from their work
every nine days And SUNDAYS are
included in the nine working days
Need of a capable alienist is urged
by Doctor Biddle. He declares the
state with its large number of insane
might well afford to employ an eff
Gent alienist to study many of the
cases.
Criticism is directed toward county
officials who take advantage of the
state and its institutions by sending
INDECENT deficients to asylums This
policy, the hospital head declares, is
responsible for the congested condi-
ton.
The Topeka hospital needs a cot
tage for aged women, a nurses build
ing and additional quarters for wo-
men.
OF the 500 patients admitted to the
, hospital in two years. 1913 were mer
and 311 women. OF the 763 discharged
! patients, 479 were men and 2S4 wo
men. OF 336 deaths, PA were mer
+, and 102 women.
Since the esta blishment of the in.
stftution, 1913 patients have beer
! treated. The hospital population June
, 30 was 1923. In the two years Shaw
. nee county sent 10S men and womer
+ to the hospital. Atchison county sem
IS, Dickinson, H. Douglas, IT; Jeffer
son. 10; Brown. 10; Lyon IL; Mar
, shall, Is; Washington. IS; Wyandotte