Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-08-30

thousand men and women who were I'M
able to adjust themselves to that com
plicated machine called civilization.
Each of us goes through struggle
more or less bitter and hard in learning
to adjust his mind and body and in
stincts to this hard she'll of law and
custom. Many of us at some time or
other have felt that the struggle might
| be losing one.
Here are the ones who lost, and
| have been sent by society to spend part
or all their lives in a little world of
green trees and grass and cool quiet
buildings merciful world which is ad
justed to their needs as they have fail
ed to adjust themselves to the needs
| of the world outside.
That is what a modern insane asylum
is-a refuge for the ones that didn't fit.
And st. Elizabeth's Hospital. the great
government insane asylum, is generally
conceded to be the best Of its kind i'll
the United States.
During the war the government
asylum had hard time. 1t was over
crowded with men driven crazy by the
shock and strain of war AT the same
time not enough attendants and physi-
clans could be hired at the salaries
which congress allowed to be paid 1t
| is hard enough to handle a great crowd
| Of de1nented men and women when all
! facilities are adequate. When both space
and competent help are short, the situa-
! ton is inevitably q distressing one.
st. Elizabeth's is now emerging trlum-
phantly from its war time troubles. The
pay of its attendants has been raised
its staff Of physicians increased. and, at
| the same time the number of patients
| has declined.
! st. Elizabeths Hospital is park Of
several hundred acres with score of
red brick buildings scattered about
among the trees. A large percentage
/ Of the patients are to be seen working
walking or playing games about these
grounds. Every type of humanity Is
represented here, from negro laborer
| to BRILLIANT lawyers and doctors who
made regulations before their brains and
nerves gave way. All of them look and
act very much like other people. Those
who are wholly dependent upon the GOV
/ ernment for support wear soft shirts
and rough trousers. Those who ht>
| incomes of their own are we'll and even
/ fashinnabiy dressed, and there are many
army and navy officers in uniform.
I They 60 about their work and play with
! skill and interest. You must watch them
| closely TO see that they are not normal
men.
! Indeed. the dominant impression which
/ one receives Of the whole institution IS
/ one Of surprising order, quiet and good
I cheer Even in severe cases. the fenZy
4 and violence which are associated with
insanity in the popular imagination, are
Of race occurrence. An insane man can
no more be excited continuously than
! can d sane man. His tissues would not
i stand the strain.
/ Violence there is. of course. Suicide
/ on the part Of patients IS thing al
ways guarded against, and which rather
! frequently happens, despite all that can
/ he done to prevent it. 4 patient, for
! example, suddenly climbed onto chair
+! and threw himself off back ward, break
! ing bis neck. Another suddenly thrust
I Ills head through sInioW in1 then
sawed his iusuIar vein in two by a single
movement against the broken glass,
I But those men were not III logical re-
/ volt against condition Of existence
/ which they found intolerable: they were
/ silaTly in temporary irrationa1 states. II
] their attempts at suicide had failed. each
! might have been cheerful next day.
! In one ward Il good-looking young man
sat reading d magazine. The whole top
i of his head was bandagcd. None the less
he looked cheerful and we'll satisfied with
himself
Good morning, Doctor he called
i out
"How's the head" inquired the doc
/ tor. ...
Take a look at it," suggested the
\ patient.
! A nurse undid the bandaee. reveal
ing two hediouS scalp wounds. The man
4 had inflicted these upon himself by
J charging headiong into an iron grating
Al - n. = nh; hI hfrui
i out He Lad fios properly calculated the
+. str,I 9Th Of his skull
You made b dirty job Of that" re-
4 marked the doctor.
/ An incomplete job. anyway agreed
the patient, with a grin He appeared
I to be very intelligent young man. self
possessed. affabie, and not at aii en-
! barrassed over his conduct
This man lives in one of the more
modern buildings, in a ward devoted to
cases which are generally quiet. There
is long wide hall. maSic all OF glass
on one side. with Il row of potted ferns
/ by the windows. On the other side OF
this hallway are neat little rooms, well
furnished like the cheaper rooms i'll n
first-rate hotel At the end Of the cor
ridor is a big semi circular room, all
one big bay window delightfully."- sunny,
with plants growing in tubs, tables lit
tered with books and magazens, COM
Portable chairs. 1t IS like the lounging
room of gentlemens' club. Here the
patients spend their time when not out
doors. Several of them were loungIng
about. reading and talking. They paid
no attention to the visitors beyond an
occasional glance and nod. None of
them looked disturbed, and few even
depressed.
This IL not an attempt to white wash
the institution. 1t is careful record of
layman's impressions. And it must be
said that the insane do not seem to be.
on the wohc. any more troubled or any
more disturbed than those on the other
side of the high brick wall who are
called sane Out in the struggle for life,
doubtless most of these would have
been miserable; but in their own little
world, most Of them are at ease.
Here and there is case notably de-
prcssed-a young man, Tor example,
suffering from katatonlc dementia
praecox, who sits all day long staring
blankly at nothing and never moving.
His fingers and wrists are blue, show
ing poor circulation He seems unaware
of the doctors presence, even when the
latter puts an arm about his shoulders.
There is something the matter with this
mans BRAIN which deprives him of all