The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-11-11
Former Inmate Of Hospital Criticizes
Continued from Page D

| pOTS, WHO aEc TcSpOklStDlo IUI ttlS lAl' human treatment accorded pa.
 tientS, including herself, she said.
 Filthy, foul language by attend.
 ants to women patients is quite
 common, Mrs. Donais stated, aside
 from their brutal handling of thest
 women patients, some of whom art
 more able to pass a required intelli.
 gence test given upon admission
 that certain attendants who have
 them in charge.
 Speaks Of Epidemic
 Relative to the current dySentary
 epidemic at the Norwich State Hos- pital, which has caused the death
 of ten women patients in the in-
 firmary and contributed to the
 deaths of ten women patients in the
 inflrmary and contributed to the deaths of four others, MT. Donais said that, since September 16, 1889, she was patient in the hospital, and believed that the older women succumbed to the disease before any medical treatment was given them
 She also tells of case of typhoid fever suffered by nurse in the in- stitution who was placed in the re- ceiving ward of the hospital with only a screen between the bed and other people using the same room.
 As for the superintendent, Dr Waterman, whom she seldom if ever saw, during her eight weeks stay there, Mrs. Donais expressed the opinion that "he is an old man, and probably knows little of what is go- ing on." She told the writer of an instance in which a patient was told to comb another woman's hair, which was done in such fashion that the hair was literally pulled out by the roots." Unable to stand the sight any longer, Mrs. Donais, who has had training as 8 nurse, finished the task in more humane fashion,
 Woman Is Hurt
 Another instance which she des- cribed was that of a woman oper- ated upon for the removal of a cyst at the base of the spine. During re- cuperation, one of the attendants took a sudden dislike to her, and pushed her into a heavy chair, the patient falling against the chair, which landed against the spine, from which some of the stitches were not yet removed, following the operation.
 Asked If she knew what the com- pensation for attendants was, Mrs. Donais stated she understood the women attendants received $48 a month, their room and board. Sev- eral of the attendants were kind to her, she explained, and she suf- fered no particularly bad treatment after her first night in the inStitu- ton, when she was slapped, pushed and roughly treated by certain at- tendants, who later foun,. out she was able to sew, had her do work on their clothes, and then learned she was keeping notes of happenings at the institutions which she felt ought to be reported to the proper flor the sake of other women, especially the older people whose children and husbands have deserted them" Once she complain ed to doctor, second in command at the hospital, relative to the con- duct of certain women attendants and was told T have nothing to do with the employment of attendants" Another woman was punched in the stomach by woman attendant, causing an injury to her bladder, Mrs. Donais said while still another with an ulcerated tooth had to wait from Thursday to Sunday for dental attention. and then did not get 1t, until after her husband happened to visit her. From 9:30 in the morn- ing, until 4 o'clock in the afternoon this woman suffered agony, due to her diseased tooth, at which time she was given two aspirin tablets, one of which was crushed and put into the cavity of the tooth, for tenn porary relief. Incidentally, an at tendant, taken with dysentery, which caused the death of ten others, did not die. Dr. Waterman said on Wednesday of this week that it would take some time" to locate the carrier of the germ.
 Signed Papers
 A most serious charge made by Mrs. Donais was that girl patients, transferred to Norwich from Mans field, a state home, were told to sign paper" for an operation. The woman believes that some of them were sterilized in op- erations for which they signed, not knowing what sort of an operation was to be performed upon them.
 Relative to the state investigation by State Senator Joseph B. Downes of Norwich she said, T only hope that Senator Downes is able to get beneath the surface of what is going on at Norwich state hospital. Perhaps he will not be able to do that, for the decent at tendantS may not tell him every thing they know, as they Ire afraid of losing their jobs. However, am able to tell him what is going on, and will do so, If he wants me, and VIII give him names of those who have treated women as though they were diseased animals, rather than human beings. If can do anything o stop the conditions at Norwich as they now exist, I will be doing for old people that may make their last days a little easier Or them. I am not afraid, and if here is any question of my intel igence I am willing to be put to any est, as long as the truth comes out" Mrs. Donais is the mother of a p ear old son and a seven year old