The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-04-03
CHARGES AGAINST RETREAT
UNSUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE
Claims of Mrs Guiford Generally DisprOved-COmmt-
tee, However, Crtcises Insufficiency of Attendants
and Condition of neutrality-suspicious. Have Been Ill
Treated, But Without knowledge of Those in Charge.

Our inspection of the rooms on the
eighteen wards included each room III
each ward. On the whole we find these
rooms clean. The mattresses of the
beds OH the whole are poor The bed |
ding, except upon the back halls, where |
the more disturbed class Of patients
are kept, was clean. Each ward is sup
piled with proper toilet and bath az
engagements with sanitary plumbing.
The recently installed heating and
vcntilating system we consider entirely
adequate and satisfactory.
Food Good and Sufficient
Our examination of the kitchen, bak
cry. cold storage and food supplies on
hand, together with invoices of supplies
bought by the institution and all evil
dencc introduced upon this subject
show the food purchased to he of good
quality and sufficient in quantity.
The food is well cooked considering
the quantity necessarily consumed and
! the same is served i'll as good condition
as can he expected with the present
J facilities, construction OF the buildings,
and the distance of the ward dining
rooms from the kitchen, which dining
room and kitchen arrangements. in the
| opinion OF your committees, make il inn
! possible to satisfactorily serve the food
and is the direct cause for the com
plants of poor food. The dining rooms
| are poorly ventilated and uHattractiye
| We find the number and location Of
! fire escapes, particularly ON the main
/ building. to be inadequate and III ease
of fire serious loss OF life might result
! We recommend that this matter he
! taken up with the state board Of health
and that the institution conform II the
requirements of such board.
Charges that the institution is infest-
| ed with vcrmin were made before this
committee and we find Respecting these
charges that these conditions exist to
some extent, due to the age Of some OF
| the buildings and the nature Of the in
stitution. These pests are constantly
combated by the management.
/ Your committee, after completing
their examination al Brattleboro, pro
ccedcd TO hear the evidence prgseutC
before it. Scvonty-nuc witnesses ap
pearcd and testified before tie commit
tee. Your committee have given al
4 persons having complaint to make re
speeding the management of the iasti
tuition or the treatment of patients
therein an opportunity TO be hear3
and have required all witnesses To ap
pear and testify who had any informal
tion or knowledge concerning the sub
irct matter of the investigation Th
I Retreat has been represented br eompe
tent counsel The board Of trustee
- has been represented at all the hear
| II
3 portuuity to be heard.
Among the witnesses appearing he
fore the committee were the trustee.
: superintendent, assistant physician
nurses. attendants and employees OF tn
institution, former nurses and attend
ants. discharged patients, members .
the state board of supervisors of tn
insane, physicians connected with otbe
institutions and others interested i
the welfare of patients confined at til
Retreat Oae thousand twenty-on
! typcWEttcn pages of testimony wer
taken.
e Insufficient number OF Attendants.
Your committee find that there J
an Insufficient number Of attendant,
employed by the institution. that the
are i'm some instances untuthful an
y. unreliable; that there is lack OF supel
vision of their work. and no attemI
=, 10 improve the efficiency of attendant
: by any method of systematic instru,
ton; that tn standard Of wages otfere
for attendants is so low aud the wor
- is Of such 4 natutc that few trus
< worthy persons are attracted from oil
or occupations to become permanent
identified with the institution, whic
I IN measure accounts for the constan
> ~ changing and unsatisfactory force G
, attendants employed We find that fl
l. a period Of three years past the avcrae
q number Of attendants in both I'll
Y mems and women s wards has been Ill
II 90 per cent of the requisite number. q
d shown by the testimony of the Officer
4. Of the institution.
e. Various complaints of general
e treatment Of patients by attendan
2 We're laid before your committee, az
these were thoroughly investigated Il
d us. Your committee find that patien
% have been i'll treated by attendan
ie and the evidence tended to show tn;
III IN some cases patients have bee
= knocked dowd and otherwise abuse
"a b. attendants, but without the know
~ edge Of those in charge of the inst
= tuition We find that such abus
= would not be tolerated il known TO Il
= officers of the institution, and in {
= such cases coming to the knowledge
Dr. LaWton or his assistants the 4
PENDANTS have been discharged. SUI
supervision Of attendants should
enforced as will certainly prevent q
currcnces Of this kind
The following specific eases ere 81
| / chilly nntel VIZ.