Year: 1859

Asylum at Marysville.


In addition to the institution at Stockton
known by the name of the Insane Asylum ef Cali
fornia. there shall be one established at Marys
vile, or Immediately adjacent thereto to be call
ed the Northern Insane Asylum of California
The grounds and buildings shall belong to tn
State. The Trustees of the Stockton Asylum
! with two Others added to their Beard, who shal
be residents of Iuba comfy, TO administer its al
| fairs in the same manner as the Stockton institu
ton. The two new Trustees to be elected b.
JOINT ballot of the Legislature Immediately afte
the Act becomes a law. The powers of the BoarC
to continue the same as at present.


, ction 9th provides for the issuing OF propo
sails by the Board, and the erection OF suitable
bulldings-the contract first to receive the appro
val of the Governor, and the cost not to eXceec
/ $4,000. The Trustees to organize under tht
provisions of this Act within thirty days after it'
passage for the purpose of carrying out the same
| aud to obtain, by purchase or donation, suitable
grounds for the Asylum at the location specified.


Sections sth and 9th relate to the election, quail
fcatiOns and duties of the Resident Physician
whose salary is fixed at $4,000.


Section 10th provides for the election of an As
sistaut Physician, and prescrbes his duties, and
empowers the Board to appoint such other medi-
cal assistance as they may deem necessary. The
| Assistant Physician to be Treasurer and Secre
tarv to the Board of Trustees, and to have salary
/ of So, 900 per annum. Vouchers to be produced
]
troller to draw his warrant on the fund set apar
/ FOR Asylum purposes.


Section 18th directs that the several Count,
! Judges shall cause medical examination to b,
made, by two responsible physicians, of such per
sons as are represented, under oath, to be insane
and, the same are certified as unsafe to be a
broad, he shall order him, or them. to be convey
ed to the Asylum. The county from which tn
person is sent to be at the expense of his convey
ance, II he be INDECENT, and, in the event Of hi
death, to bear funeral expenses.


The remainder Of the Act is substantially th
same in its provisions for the support and govern
ment of the Northern ASYLUM, and definition o
the duties ofofficers, as the law under which th,
Stockton Asylum is conducted.


Referred to the Committee on Hospitals.


1t is to be hoped that the Legislature vii
speedily pass this Act, as a matter ofjusticC
to the Northern counties, and ns public ne
cessity. We believe it was understood, when
the Asylum was first located at Stockton
that, with the increase of population, and n
consequent increase of insanity from the
thousa;d and one causes which attend social
misery and the evils arising from the innu-
mental health which are SO common in
thickly populated countries, there would come
time when it would be necessary to estab-
lish an Asylum for the accommodation of the
North. That time has already arrived. The
expense of transporting the INDECENT insane
from the northern counties, is unduly oner-
ous- The same amount that it now costs this
county, let alone Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou and
! like remote counties, to send one insane per
son to Stockton, would actually support him
for whole year, were he at once put into
an Asylum convenient for the purpose.
hundred and twenty five or thirty dollars i
the least that man can be transported for
from the mountain regions of this county tC
Stockton, let him be ever so quiet patient
and frequently it will cost double, where the
person is furious"


The Northern counties might be willing to
bear this very grievous burden for while
longer, were it going to save the State any
expense, but it will not do so, inasmuch as
buildings twice as large as those now hold
ing, or rather crowding together, the insane,
are absolutely necessary and must be con
structed' Since the buildings must be built,
and larger number of officers employed
there can be no excuse whatever for refusing
to locate the new building in section of the
country demanded by the whole Northern
portion of the State.


The idea that one Asylum of this character
can accommodate large State like this
where, owing to a variety of obvious causes
and principally to the unusual excitement o.
mind attendant upon the surprising alterna
tions of fortune, and where communication
between remote sections is often exceedingly
difficult on account of natural obstacles
which can never be wholly removed lis toe
preposterous an idea to be seriously enter
tanned by any sensible legislator. There mus
be two or more Asylums for the Insane, final
ly, at all events, and the work may as wei
be done now as hereafter. Our legislator
need not be worried about precedent in tn
case, for there are precedents enough. Mas
sachusetts has two State Lunatic Asylums
the one located at Worcester and the other a
Taunton, beside good many other asylum
for the insane which are under the care o
private charity. Kentucky has two, ant
Ohio has three, and we have no doubt many
other States are in the same category


We trust our legislators will have the goot
sense to attend to this matter without delay


DRowNED.-On Wednesday last the bod,
of an unknown man was found in the bay
above Black Point No marks Of violenc