The New York herald., 1922-05-13

New plans for State care or the in
sane. and a renewed attack upon tuber-
culosis In which S2,000.OOo will be spent
In this State by the Milbank Memorial
Fund over q period Of five years. were
discussed at the Biltmore yesterday at
the second days session of the fiftieth
anniversary Of the State Charities Aid
Association.
Officials charged with the administra-
tion Of the State hospitals denied re-
cent statements made by Bird S. Coler,
Commissioner of Public Welfare. and
former Municipal Justice Hoffman that
sane persons are being committed to
State hospitals and that others are con-
fined much longer than necessary.
DR.. C. Floyd Haviand. chairman OF
the State Hospital Commission. said:
1T is absurd to think that patients
are ever improperly detained In hos1
pitals. In the first place. there is the
urgent necessity Of relieving overcrowd-
ing, The increase in the number OF
patients admitted during the year end
ing this June will be larger than at
any other time in the history Of the
State. and the same was true last year,
Liberal Parole Policy.
"The present liberal parole policy
shows that the hospitals are making
every effort to restore patients to So
ciety as soon as possible. In fact, there
is far. more danger a mental patient
may fail to receive hospital care and
treatment than there Is of improper
detention. There are now about 5000
patients on parole in total of $4,000.
"The fear Of illegal commitment. is
heritage of the past and is based on
false conceptions. 1t may be asserted
that no person in a normal menta. con-
dition could be committed to a State
hospital under our present laws. The
laws of New York respecting admission
of patients are probably the most en-
lightened of any such statutes yet
framed"
Dr. Haviiand said he believed the in
crease In insanity could be ascribed
largely to postwar conditions. There
will be 400 additional beds installed
this year, he said, and as many next
year.
Henry M. Sage, former State Senator,
chairman of the Hospital Development
Commission, said he had visited all the
State hospitals, some of them many
times, and had found that the patients
receive expert medical supervision and
advanced hospital facilities.
DR.. George H. Kirby, director Of the
Institute on Wards Island,
said "A few days ago encountered
judge who refuses to commit patients
to State hospitals unless 1t is shown
they are either suicidal or homcldal
Many of YOU probably read with amaze
ment the statement. attributed to for
mer city judge, that thousands OF sane
persons are locked up and go mad In
asylums to which they are railroeded.
It is not only the ordinary citizer that
needs education"
Hospitals Give Information.
DIR. Haviland declared that the pres
ent day hospita. must be center from
which can be given out information on
all matters pertaining to the ma!nte-
nance of mental health. as well as the
treatment OF persons mentally diseased.
He added that the State hospital system
would be incomplete until thero has
been established in New York city a
hospital, as 5,419 uessons
were admitted to the State hospitals
from the metropolitan district last year.
DR.. Matthias Nicoll, Jr., Deputy State
Commissioners of Health. declared that
IL the present decrease in the death rate
continues The time when tuberculosis
will have become a rare disease may be
only a generation or two away He
said the death rate In cities has failen