Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-02-23
Medical Superintendent Of
Blackfoot Asylum Says Leg
islatures Have Not Provided
Funds.
iHAsTY SURVEY is MADE
Denies There Is No Established
Policy; Asserts It Is Rigid
One and Always Enforced;
in Charge Nearly Year.

In statement addressed to "the
medical superintendent of the Black
foot asylum, replies to the report of
the state affairs committee of the
present legislature sent to the south
east to investigate state institutions.
the management of the asylum and
recommended not only a change in the
, board of trustees but in the medical
superintendent. The reply of DR..
jackson is as follows:
To the taxpayers OF Idaho:
Il would like to review the report
OF the state affairs committee.
The committee that called on us
was composed Of Senator Kerrick, an
orchardist of Parma; Senator Petit
bone farmer of Grangeville, and
Representative Morgan of Washing
ton county What the latter's occu-
patton is he failed to reveal although
ne had several splendid opportunities
to do SO. They called one morning at
IL O'Clock and left the next morning
at and spent the evening down town.
The time actually spent in going over
the place was about six hours. In that
eiAiAo ehSy fiSiteu StNeH WdTOS, the
laundry, machine shop, boiler room,
basement root cellar, store room,
barn, several corrals of cattle and
hogs, the superintendent residence,
etc, of course it was a very superb
cial, and to me unsatisfactory inspec-
tion. The records they criticized they
did not look at. And the new system
OF accounting recently installed by the
professor of accountancy of the poly
techntc school and ex-st1te auditor of
Indiana and now drawing four
thousand dollar salary as an expert
accountant in the army secured pos
sibly five minutes of their time I
venture to say the system is at least
as complete as anything in this state.
"As result Of such hasty survey
the report contains a good many state
ments that are misleading to say the
least. However, there are good many
things in the report am glad to en-
dorse and even emphasize. We are
lacking in a good many things con-
sidered essential in all well equipped
asylums. but for ten consecutive bien-
NAL reports the management has ask
ed the Legislature for things we are al
most criminal in not providing, and
receive nothing but bare existance.
II the citizens of this state actually
knew by personal observation the en-
barrassment we are constantly under
for want of few thousand dollars I
think they would arise enmasse and
demand u reasonable appropriation be
given us. am sure the legislature
would willingly do better by US !
they felt the taxpayers were with
them.
ATTENDANCE CUT DOWN.
Some of the positive assertions re-
garding the weighty problems of the
care of the insane, problems that have
engaged the life study of our eminent
alienists. are perhaps not invaluable.
The assertion that there is no indi-
vidual or systematic treatment Of our
patients and that 'there are un-
doubtedly many cases of various
kinds of insanity from which the pa
tent might recover IL only properly
treated" does not come with very
good grace from one who never even
inquired about our methods of treat
nent. Patients come to us after the
usual home treatment by drugs. nurs-
ing, ETC., have failed. We would be
poor mental therapeutists indeed, to
hope for cure by duplicating methods
that have failed. Suffice 1t to say that
we have sent out over 40 this last
year as cured or so much improved as
to be able to take their place in home