The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-11-26
SteilaC00nn:
Hospital Improvements Badly Needed
Booze and Disease Insanity Causes
Attendants Carry No Guns
Woman Doesn't KnoW She's Wailing
By RALPH >. BENJAMIN

HY RALPH .. BENJAMIN
A new receiving hospital fur
niHlsrd with the most modern
equipment known for tho treat
ment Of the mentally sick.
A staff ~ trained nurses 10
care for the patients while they
are under observation during
their first few w~shs nj the insti
tuition.
The eighthour day for nurses
and attendants. with bester pay.
New cottages and quarters for
pipsicianz and attendants.
Money Ia rsSnosisi all tho ~
manning dark wards and r-fur.
nish thesn.
A s-w laundry and power
plant.
Radical chanxrr In tho p~c--
ent system III commitments of
patients 10 tisc asylum by ooarts
~ commissioner.
These arr tho things thai DIR.
William y. kcilw. supcrifhsnd-
eut of iisr W~iwn State Hos
pital for the in>sn~, ~als<.
The commitment law should h.
changed. first of an Dr. Keller told
me, after We had completed tour
OF the Institution.
THE commitment law In wrong.
Two physician. are called In To en-.
anime each alleged insane person.
Very often this work Ia passed
around among the doctors. and very
often the examining physicians
know absolutely nothing about In
sanity Sometimes the doctors do
not even bother 10 fiii out the com
mitm~nt papers they simply sign
their namra and lot II Ro az that
The law should specify that phyri'
clans Of standing and experience do
the examining There are too many
efuel mistakes under the present
system
Here. At the institution. We need
a new receiving hospital In this
ns~ building we would receive and
esamin. each new case Many cures
would b. effected th~ra We could
conduct research work there II
would he easy 10 enlist a corps Of
doctors 70 study insanity.
Il want 20 improve conditions here
so that wc ~ili not hav. any trouble
employing and keeping the most es.
pert attendants ! prefer trained
nuraca
EICuTuOU DAY ~
COSTLY. BIT NECESSARY
The eight hour day for attend
ants IN necessary. IL VIII add 10 the
coed II operating tho institution. bu,
Il Il right. just tho same Al pres
ent there IL only one attendant for
each ~ or 10 pafients We should
have enc for each ~ paficnss
New cottages and quarters for
attendants are badly needed. The
old cottages are nothing but rhaeks
They were built years and years ago.
We need bigger library and re
cepsion room
Tho old. dark. unranissry wards
must fss rvoonssructcd. That 10 the
only decent. humane thing 70 do.
I'VE must have new laundry.
Tho old ono has cnught fire several
times
.srhs new power plant. believe.
10 a~urcd n IL partially finished
now
There Vns time when ne asylum
wns q hothcd of politica This has
ceased. DIR. Keller declares.
no CAMPAIGN MONEY
IN JACKPOT NOW
"whsn I accepted this position. !
told Governor Lister that would
not stand for political The employees
out hero used 10 bc required To con
tribute n months salary al campaign
tins Tho money went into the jack
pot 70 help. rc.ci.ct the man who h.
In Tho party In power usually
raised $4,000 or no here This inssi
tuition dsd not contribute one cent 20
the last campairn- IL 10 out Of poll.
tea and II stays out AZ long as I
arm here
when q patient arrives herr,
what do you DO 20 hlniY'' asked.
Each patient Ia carefully checked
In. hts property accounted for. his
clothing listed. and he In examined
from head to toe. His commitment
paIers are studied. Letters are son,
10 friends and relatives Of the IN,
tlrn,. II the patient has been com.
mittcd TO any other institution for
the insane. We write there. We try
tn get an much information as posi-.
HE about each patient. Then comes
tho examination OF his Gaze. The
doctor In charge OF the ward aurs.
tons tho patient. and a stenoTrapher
takes down the answers word for
word. The patient Ia encouraged TO
talk.
'"rhc next step IN the test for vice
diseases. The wasserrnan blood test
In performed. n Il shows positive,
tho patient In given an intensive
course OF treatment. then given the
blood test again. IL the first course
Of treatments does no, cure the dis.
ease, a second course Is given. The
very latest methods are used. Most
cases are cured. often this clears
up the patients mental state ana he
can leave the hospital. cured. II the
Wasserinan test does not show the
diasase. We make a test OF tho spinal
fluid by means ~ a spinal punciure.
In many cases this test shows syph.
ills where the blood test did not.
"If the patient In disturbed, We
give him "A course of Treatment IN