Arizona republican., 1921-07-15
ESCAPE IF INSANE PATIENT SHOWS THE
 NEED OF REFORMS

The case of an insane patient who had escaped from the state hospital for the insane and who had institut- ed reign of terror in the vicinity of Tombstone where he formerly lived. | destroying much property, emphasiz- es the need of two reforms in the management of the insane.
 This man. a brilliant youth. had been graduated from one of the nor maj schools of this state and was a freshman in the University of Mich igan, where he became insane. His relatives were notified of his condi- ton and one of them went there to bring him home. A member of the faculty of the university directed that he be taken to E,r. Mary L. Neff of this city for examination, and that was done.
 Dr. Neff readily identified his ail- ment as dementia priecox. form of insanity peculiar to adolescence. and so generally incurable that recovery is never expected. The patient may oftlo have long periods of remission. but a recurrence of the ailment some time is almost certain.
 It is produced by a variety of causes. among which Is over study. So certain was Dr. NeIf of the na-
 
 that. not having time immediately to | procure commitment to the hos | pita1, she secured a special order | from the court for his admission to I the institution, and the commitment was obtained later.
 1 The manner of his escape was a | natural one He was one of a group | of inmates of the institution allowed under guard on the lawn of the un- ! enclosed grounds. lie evaded the | guards and was next heard of in the l vicinity of Tombstone where he set fire to a couple of buildings held up various persons. broke into offices and for days was pursued by posses. At length he was captured. and the sheriff started with him for Phoenix. Or he was about to start and was in ~the act of buying the tickets, leaving to his own devices yne young man who seemed so tractable that the of- ficer was thrown off his guard. Ths young man effected his second es- cape. but was shortly afterward cap- tured
 The first lesson shows the need of an enclosure of the grounds for pa-
 tients, or several enclosures or courts
 where they may be kept in the open air, where games and athletic exer-
 cises may be allowed them. The asylum authorities are said to have requested that such enclosures be
 erected on the grounds. but the ob-
 jection was raised that that would
 make the confinement of the pa
 tients to patent while, their presence
 under an inconspicuoas guard woul6 afford an appearance of freedom which would appeal to the public. That arrangement it is perceived is kind of four flushing. for wher the patients are confined. as the, must be at times. they are confined in their narrow cells.
 The lesson taught by the second es- cape of the young man from unde l the very nose of the sheriff of Co chise county is that peace officers police officers and all who have tn handling of criminals, should hay, some elementary knowledge, at least of insanity. A very large number o the criminals who pass through tn | hands of such officers are either in I sane or abnormal. The desirabilit | of such knowledge on the part of tn | officers has been recognized by Chic I of Police August Vollmer of Berke | ley, Calif., that he provides regula | lectures to the members of the fore | on phases of insanity.