The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-12-02

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beds, ''that no inmate has ever made
q mistake as to which was his bed
during the 16 months that I have
been here" Lands comes from Iowa
and has had 10 years. experience with
insane asylums. when . man II
assigned to his bed he never forgets
its location. Some sane people would
not remember 90 we'll.
I'VE have had trouble with just
one man, not because he forgot, but
because he didn't like to be alone or
with . few. He wanted to be with
the crowd. He came up here twice
and went to bed. We changed him
to these quarters and he IL now hap
py. Some patients dread to be alone.
The form Of their dementia IL such
that they hear voices, mysterious
sounds, or, in some cases, loud noises
and dreadful shrieks. They know
that it Is q hallucination. They want
to get away from such things. APP
parently they are not bothered in q
crowd. The large dormitories are
their favorites.
Have Little Trouble
Sometimes we get man who
doesn't fit with the crowd. Him we
place in a private room. We don't
have much trouble with our boys.
They are carefully looked after and
the violent ones are kept under close
watch.
''In the vocational department we
take special pains to see that nothing
occurs to startle the teachers. The
boys are. learning to weave all sorts
of willow ware and they seem to en-
Joy it."
Lunatics almost invariably deny
that they are insane. There is an
exception at Warm Springs. He is
in the hospital ward.
"Come right in. We won't hurt
you," he exclaimed to the visitors.
"Of course we are all crazy, but that
doesn't matter. You know it. We
are in crazy house and that means
we have bats in our belfry. That fell
low with you," pointing to the GUS
tOd1an, lis crazy, too," and he laugh
ed heartily at his joke.
you see, my head is full Of plans
and schemes" he said, in answer to
a query as to what particular variety
of bats he harbored in his Uranium.
am always plotting and scheming.
am planning to make money.
have lots of dollars hidden. Every
one has an inscription ON it. You
will know my dollars by that inscrip-
ton. II you find one of them you
can have it," and he broke into roar
of laughter which left the visitor in
doubt as to whether the old fellow
was having fun with him.
In the mems department every
thing was roomy, airy, sunny, palms.
takingly clean, and not at all over
crowded.
Women OvercrOwlled
In the women's quarter things
We're not so admirable. 1--WE are
much overcrowded," said the cheerful
and comely but tired-looking head
nurse. 1T is hard to keep things
as we would wish. There are $50
women and children here. With half
the number we could manage things
as they should be-
She led the way to where the SUBJ
normal children are kept. 1T is i'm
possible to teach these little ones
anything" she said. "They are hope
less. but they have considerable vi:
tally. They are doomed to spend
their lives in an institution under the
care of others.
I'VE let the women patients assist
In the care of these larger children,
under supervision, of course. It
keeps them busy and the little ones
get lots of loving from these women,
who are themselves mothers, but,
through their ailment, separated
from their own.
Here is a case that may interest
you," she said, and led the way to
a ward in which lay a tiny baby
whose head was enlarged to double
that Of an adult and who lay on her
little cot staring at the ceiling out
of film-covered eyes.
"A case of water on the BRAIN"
said the head nurse. mo, it can't
recover, of course. The case is alb
solutely insurable. It will linger for
perhaps three months"
In an adjoining ward were mum.
bers of little ones with malformed
heads. In some instances the head
came to a point. in others the cranial
development was toward the back OF
side. They smiled cheerfully when
spoken to. but none made any effort
at speech. The face of the attendant
as she passed among them, showed
that familiarity had not deadened
her feelings of sympathy. She patted
some Of them kindly on the head and
they returned the caress with a look
of affection and confidence.
Through the window of the WON.
ems apartment could be seen numer.
Gus women patients in a courtyard
surrounded by cottages.
Those cottages are occupied as
we'll as this building" the nurse said
IF we could only have little more
room." and she sighed.
The women in the courtyard were
occupying themselves in different
ways. Beautiful lawns that surround
the buildings had been beaten in the
courtyard into dust by the tramp OF
many feet. In disregard of the dust