Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 April 1880 — The Hospital for the Insane. [ARTICLE]

The Hospital for the Insane.

The thirty-first annual report of the Indiana Hospital for the Insane has just been filed. The following is an abstract of the report: Inventory of property, $1,391,462.96, of which $88,451.96 is personal; receipts for the year, $195,559.81; expenditures, $161,653.28; of the balance, $30,455.55 was covered into the State treasury. The disbursement for improvement and repairs were $20,011.03. Patients admitted during the year, 615; discharged, 532; deaths, 69; numberremaining, 629; cost of maintenance, per capita, sl9l. In a medical point of view the results attained were highly satisfactory. Of the 1,229 patients treated, 23.6 per cent, recover 'd, and 5.6 per cent died. There are about 2,200 insane persons in the State, of whom 1,500 are in jails, county asylums and private domiciles. These figures show the urgent necessity for additional facilities to care for this class of unfortunate s. During the year but one case of failure of self-control on the part of an attendant was brought to the notice of the Trustees, which was followed by prompt discharge. A comparison of expenditures for the past two years is favorable to the new management. During the year ending Oct. 31, 1878, the average monthly expenditure was $12,032.82; during the same period for 1879, $8,211.88. This reduction was not made in food supply, which was 14 per cent, greater in cost than for 1878. No mention is of course made of the recent charges of cruelty in the institution, as they occurred this year.