Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-01
FUGITIVE BANKERS LETTER
SAYS HE MAY REPAY FUND

ASYLUM DUV | NEEU
AID, DOCTOR SAYS
At least 500 persons at the state
sanitarium for the insane at Mil
ledgeville, or more than 10 per cent
of the total inmates, are not actu-
ally in need of sanitarium treatment
and are not legitimately entitled to
it at the states expense, it was re-
ported to Governor Hardwick by DR..
r. G. Hutchings, the distinguished
New York alienist and authority on
treatment of the insane, who has
just completed a survey of the SAM
tarium for the governor ond the de-
partment of public welfare.
DR.. Hutchings completed his sur-'
vey last week, came to Atlanta and
reported briefly and verbally his con-
illusions to the governor, then re-
turned to New York and will reduce
his report to writing and furnishing
it to the governor and the depart
ment Of public welfare at an early
date.
Governor Hardwick on Tuesday
made known in a general way the
important recommendations submit
ted to him by DR.. Hutchings in their
conference last Saturday.
The statement of DR.. Hutchings
that 500 persons at the sanitarium
are not actually in need of sanitar-
ium treatment is particularly impor-
tant at this time because of the fact
that few persons committed to the
sanitarium in recent months have
been able to gain admission. They
are now confined in county jails,
for the most part, and numbers of
them are said to be violently in
sane.
Another recommendation made by
Or. Hutchings is that persons adj
judged insane by the present meth
cd of trial in the courts of ordinary
should be examined by board of
alienists on arriving at the sani-
tarium. There is no such a board
at the present time, and the SAM
tarium authorities have no power to
set aside the finding of lunacy
trial, even though the jurors in such
trial are not required by law to
have any knowledge whateve: of in
sanity.
Another recommendation is that
persons sent to the sanitarium by
families who are able to pay for
treatment should be required to pay
at least the cost of their treatment,
instead of being treated free as at
present.
New Building Favored
Concerning additional facilities for
the care and treatment of the in
sane, DR.. Hutchins is expected to
recommend the building Of another
and separate Sanitarium, instead Of
charging the present one at Mil
ledgeville. There is a limit, he stat
ed, to the scale on which an institu-
ton of this kind CAP be operated
efficiently. Not only has the SAM
tarium at Milledgeville reached that
limit from the standpoint of the
number of patients under treatment,
but also the buildings and grounds
have been stretched to such an eX-
tent to provide additional capacity
that they cannot be stretched or en-
larged any further, and if an ad-
ditional unit were built, at Milledge-
vile it would require additional
grounds and would have to be built
new from the ground up.
Hence it would be doubly advis-
able, in DR.. Hutchings opinion, to
build elsewhere the next time. car
rying out the idea of small units
built as nearly as possible in the
center of the territory they serve.
limited in the number of patients so
as to permit the largest possible de-
gree of individual attention by the
nurses and doctors, and located close
by the homes of the patients, where
they can receive frequent visits
from their families, and make visits
home when their condition warrants.
On his previous visit to the gov
errors office some weeks ago, when
he was going to Milledgeville to
make his survey Of teh sanitarium,
DR.. Hutchings commented upon
Georgia's lack of physicians trained
in the treatment of mental diseases,
and expressed the opinion that it
would be advisable to locate the next
sanitarium adjacent to Emory uni
versity and to give special induce
ments for medical students to take
courses in mental hygiene.
The situation Of the state santa
rum has ben growing more and
more serious for the past two
years, owing to it's extremely over
crowded condition. The report of
DR.. Hutchings will, therefore. be
considered of the highest Importance
by the governor, and probably will
be made the basis of special recon-
to the legislature.
DR.. Hutchings is superintendent
of the New York state sanitarium
for the insane at Ogdensburg. His in.
stttution there is one of fourteen
maintained by that state, which has
followed the European practice of
breaking up it's sanitariums into
small units we'll distributed over the
state.
DR.. Hutchings is a native of Ma
con, married at Milledgevil1e, and
has made frequent visits to his ma
tive state. His views concerning
GeCrgia's situation with reference to
the insane are in no sense hypercriti- |
cal, but are prompted by the friend |
Hest motives. He is considered one
of the highest authorities. in his line |
in the country. When the COVER
nor and the department of public |
welfare requested the national COM |
mittee on mental hygiene to recon- |
mend man for a general survey |
of the Georgia situation, the com |
mittee recommended him.
100000 Koreans