NEW ZEALAND MENTAL HOSPITALS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13985, 19 August 1907, Page 3 (Supplement)

NEW ZEALAND MENTAL HOSPITALS

Dll HAY'S FIRST REPORT.

INTIifiESTING.STA'I'ISTiCS AND

CONCLUSIONS.

WELLINGTON, August 13. ■Ilid .first report of tho new inspeciorgeiieral of Hospitals, which seems to be an able and exhaustive document, was presented to Parliament to-day by tlie iidn. Mr Fowlds. At the otitsot Dr Huy piiys 4 graceful ahd feeling tribute to his late cniof. it will be,noted (he writes) from tho expansion of the department administering,the Lunatic Act tliul the tiiiiO had come for lis eleavSge from that adminis-' toting tho Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act and its alliei The .departments had grown almost imperceptibly; and their responsibilities, received increments ivithout apparently .burdening tho broad Shoulders acetistbmod to the weight; but hese responsibilities oneo laid down, wore iviifely deeihed too heavy for a single load. The late .lilapector-general was no ordinary mail. His rnitul wits as riiassivo hs his frame.' .His nobility of thought, His geniality, his. foroefulness'i'll action; made tip a personality .which I believe has left Its liiark.ah the civil, service of the colony: To tho department life bequeathed a part of himself, a tradition of justice, of courage to do. what is right, without tho thought of applause or blame, and of a rightcbtts re'giird for the public purse, i trust it may bo my lot, as it shall bo my endeavour, to maintain that tradition, and to, justify tho confidence placed in nio when appointed to tmcceed my honoured chief.

'file proportion of the total insane to thb. total population; exclusive of. Maoris, is. 3,49 per th'ousaiid, or 1 in 285. Inclusive of .Maoris, it is 3.5 per thousand; or 1 in 293. Ono of fhe.tabids iriven reveals the fabt that-tho Irish ate responsible for an extraordinary nrb'jwrttoh of tho. lunacy iii [he colony. Tlio.figures "for the ptoportibn, in coiihtry of origin are, remarkable, Neiy Zealand contributing only i, lunatic to every r>l3. of her people, Australia 1 to fev'efy,.472; Khglahd and Wales l.to every 130, Scotland. 1 to every 123, and Ireland 1 ta every 63. The statistics quoted in thoj;cr;ort <ir6. worthy of.careful study in connection jvith the liiiikiihg up of a hew nation; After referring io, thein in some detail., the Inspector-general says the Out l standing feature disclosed.by these,calculi; tibns.is tho" remarkably low .incidence .of insanity among Not Ziialand-borh. We have, riot, the figures at.hand to trace the reliitiye ihcideheo at different periods d£ bur history,, but oho may safely yehtitre tjio bpiflio'ii that oh tlio' Whole tlie issue of llio earlier settlers' is the' ihore stable. Tho. idiriaric'6 .of pioHeefitig attracts tho yerit.Uresofn'e', tlie .brave and. vigorous, the best ciass_ of Bfitoii. .These empiro bilildcr's am also as builders of shelters for the less robust a.bout to follow as thb country liecoincs more settled, and who fcri'd liardshlp whbre tile others had found adve'ritui'fc Thereafter "ifdld rushes" prdvi'ded tlielr qiidta; and since those days, though wo have had, and still get, many bf irib best that the older lands bah give iiji, there hrjve b66ii hiariy of the class wo nil know, "the mati who 'never had a oHanoo," and between the two varying degrees of settlors and iihscitlcrs, the average,beirijj, as buf figures' clearly ihdi: bate, bblbrf the average of the country of brigiii. A similar return with respect to crime and charitable, aid wbuid te of cbhsiderablo interest aiid value. It is hot too much ..to . assume that the drop from a specially to a carelessly selected parentage niust be', prejudloiifJ. to tho offspring. Dealing, however, with. the figures, which are facts; aiid considering ,tilat only one Or two (it can hardly be said throb) generattens separate the New Zealander from the' parent stock; it would seem that altered conditions wfere. a*akehing the dbrmarit prepotencies of the race, and that th'es'6 were as*istiiijj tlio otivifontnent to ttiumpb over evil hereditary disbosoß; Tlie ,liope is very stimulating. That atimuiatidri fehdhld bo .fblldwed by action; so , that hope ehoiild riot prove a flatleref, that We shbuld . not rest content with tliS present acHicvernenls, nor, lbso the fear of retfdgressidh. ■ it will have been obsbrved thai the ineidene'e of nierital diseases rises towards maturity, and herein A joiing nation about tb/discard a name which. seoiria to imply tutelage may read an instructive analogy. The foregoing figures indicate tlie necessity where control can be exorcised for better control, over immigration, Tlie State may easily lbso more over.an immigrant who cart just pass muster than it is ever likely fb gain. I think it woiild .be reasonable iri tlie ease d[ those assisted with passage money, or otherwise induced to coitie here, if a medical .examination embracing inquiries into neuroniitbic inheritance were instituted, and if all who did not conform td a .Strict standard were rejected. This hiay bo considered tod swonpihg, became heiifbtie.. hot ulwdys liegettirlg neurotics, we wddld iihdbiibtedly lose some good ccllohisls; . litlt tfb slldiild go. as far as possiblo without being positively punitive, ahd most. Certainly persons' who have had ah attack of iilsatiity shoiild be disqualified. It 13 hb answer tliiit apparently our figiirrjs show a great regenerative process when it is remembered tlvat every (rrdlip of about 14l Englfsh,. 124- Scotch, and o3 Irish landed here .contributes, faeh ii. jiatieiit to our inehtal, liospltiil's, that fee will lie certainly others among them afflicted with come of. the giaver neuroses, and that, it is probably the issue, of siich persons that mainly .figure as the. insane among the native born. If, indeed, they aro regenerated, in process of time; the change is riot brought about without much human misery, , and without great cost to the State: But let us coiinf, the initial cost; the, mote material cost, by spreading over each group tile full expenditure on the patient. It will he found that each person in tlie first lot cost the State abbot 6s ljd, iri tho Second about, is ll|d : and in .the third About 12s 7j-d per annum, while liilder like conditions each New Zealander costs about Is 4jd.. Tho rcpoH contains some, weighty, remarks oh the rjuestion, of heredity. "I do hot," say? Br Hay, "suggest drastic measures," because .tlie niatter must... bo left largely to the public conscience. Oho is not sanguine enough to believe that in the selection of a life parthrir as hiuch cafe will .be 'exercised as in tho selection of stock, which; of eotirse, can bo.done dispassionately* but surely it is thb duty Of llitferSWd persons to ascertain facts of personal and family histofyi subh as have to be disclosed hefbre a life iriSit'raflcb company Will accept ji risk of oVeh a buiKlrod pbi'mds; If it profit a tratlitig cb'nipahy to pay a medical,fee to keep itsolf. safe for so small, n, f-isk, surely it woiild (iay Io do soriidtliihg to avoid tlio groat risks b'f persons marrying in ignorance when enlightenment nlhy encourage thb ilhioli of healthy men and women. If publio .opinion were ,to see iii this a matter for thb action of the,. State, so mlieb the bettor for tho State. The value of an individual naturally leads to llie next point to be riorisidered—namely, tho health of tho mother and children, apart from inducing bbdiiy disorders not directly associated . with ifisahityi apart, from mental ehteeblement. du<* to arrcsled brain development, apart from the fact that children comparatively seldom labour Under mental disease; it may be rcasormbly pres'unicd that tho proper nourishment Bf tho.irifant both.before and after birth must teli whciv mbVal and physical stress is cncdtintefetl later in life, and when toxaemic states have to bb combated, csiwclally if there be also a rieurop'athie inheritance to contend with. From this standpoint alone the work that l)r King has initiated in the south for the protection of the health bf women and children is of great importance. He is demonstrating to tho ritbtlier that she is asslstirig tlie Almighty in a miracle* the ulttriiatc success bf which depends oii the manner in which she regulatee her life, and that oricb thS child is borrl she must hot for its lasting good ami for li'er bwii good deprive it bf its birthright; the ndtirishmeiit that was ordained, for Its, use: The rapid development of the brain in the three months before birth and the three, years after, when relatively it is out of ail pro'portion to the bedy weight; surely mark these out as critical periods with regard to ultimate mental stability." In regard to the influence of marriage on tho question bf ihsanity, statistics are given showing that the balance of factors is in faVour bf marriage. Provision for wliat are termed "tlie Qrimitial. iitstmp" is being made on the Otago Pertihsiiia, where they are to be segregated oh the properly known as "The Camp." . . Hi respect to jjersoils of feeble, mjnil the report .states that the hoiho at. Richmond, near Nelson, is (bo small for the ultimate LhsHtilti6n fbf the feeble-minded, aiid the expense <lf more 1 that! olio such place. for the colony would lie too. gl'eht. Pending legislation; tho hoihe itt Rioiimoml is used a.i ah outlet for tiro better Klnssiritatioii bf the inmates of mbrttSil hospitals; Tlie ifateniQiit of the iillantliil fesiills bf the working bf tilc.nitjrifai hospitals for the year 1906 ehows tiiat the s\iih bf £21,'8J9 was rccoivod as ri'iaitlt'bijaiice payments .in respect of 873 patients, bf whom. 54 paid the maximum aumial .charge, bf £54 12s, 'whilst 128 piiid £52. Front tho remaining 2291 , i&tieiM ifafliia& jjeß JKiiß sakea

an average payment, for those who pay aiiythihg of 9s Oil per week, tiii'd ovet all tho patients of 2s Cd por week. The report adds: " Tim hi.-ijbrity of patibrits have no relatives in tho coiohy able to contribute to their rhaiteiiarice or within the kinship liable itiidei- the Destitute Persons Act, and tho whole burdbii /alb On l.liii taxpayer. There afe sbmb who take no sliaii'e iii shifting their burden on to the State. They (Id not seerii to kp'tifobiate that iii so doing they are accepting tliiifitablfe aid. ahti did we not softtjti bitr li.omehclatiife the patient; would be classified as pauper. Careful inquiries are' iiia<lo in eaeli case in which ah apparently reasonable auibliiit is riot offered, arid when we suspoe a desire to evade pavirieiit of what is dcehied art equitable assessment the case is taken to court;. Last year there too 29 prosecutions, of which 21 were ■successful." ' ■

The opinion is expressed that on old-age pensioners becoming ins. mo t] ic j r pon sions fehould not cease, as is tho case at present. It is ako .submitted that persons already in receipt of charitable- aid should nbt 'cea.se to bo a chargo on the Ideal .bodies when sent to a menial hospital.. The iivcrago oriet So- & at !?# ( |wa receipts) was . i £3 6 A d ' as £27 15s 2W in 1905 and £21 in 1901: Interest, on capital anil tho cost of reppirs are not included in these calculations.. Making, such allowa-riecs, the approxinjate .full annual cost per patient would be £43. 2s Id.. The. net cost last year was highest -at Seacliff. (£3l 16s 9cl) and. lowest at. Auckland (£E2 3s 7d), The lolal value of the produce raised at tho farms last year was £14,304, of which proi^J 0 , lho yaix,c of £10 '^ 8 lV «i* consumed at tho hospitals, the remaining £3866 being tho .proceeds of sales, ..The amount spent on the farms was £6,492.

"THE bRBfINAt, INSANE."

u? 111 ?!?„]*P ol 'i bn ho criminal insane, Dr Hay writes that this contradictory term loosely comprises persons whose insanity hia declared itself iii ixmib act or omission which, had they been iii their right mind, would have .been .a .crime, and is also extended to include tlio insane criminal— that is, the criminal)/ sano at the time of his offence, who subsequently becomes insane. Generally speaking, the first lotprobably the second Tot-obviously aro 'dangerous i' or undesirable persons to have associated, .with ordinary persons of unsound' rt ."™. Their safe keeping is impossible without exceptibrial ahd expensivo supervisions and tends to limit the freedom of patients.iii the ward in which they happen to be placed. In order to segregate; them the property known as " The Camp," on tho Otago Peninsula, is being adapted. Here 19 working patients have Wen employed getting tho grounds in order and digging post-holes for an enclosing fence. The ground is so prepared that tho fence, which is designed to, be 15ft high, will not be obvious; and will iiot obst-tiict tlio beautiful view which one gets l'h every direction. Tho fence line rHeaiiiree. 35 'chains, and encloses hot only .the castle ,iind fecreatibh grounds', but tho byres, workshops, virieiy, fruit houses, etc., arid, therefore, a patient riihmrig away from a working or. other party would bo arrestee! by tlio ciiclosufe, which, would merely have to ho patrolled .while lib was sought for in any pbssibio' hidirig'-place. As iSrotestß against proclaiming this place as ah asylum. for flic above blase ard no* receiving tlio attention bf the Government, it would bo out of place to say anything further, says that tho alternative suggestions which liavo been brought forward so far are inadmissible. The locality is quite unsuitcd for a homo for the feebleminded or for senile demerits. CAUSES OF INSANITY. .

The various causes bf tlio insanity "of the persons admitted, to tho mental hospitals of fJib cbldriy last yeAr are. set forth in a table attaohed lb the ailiiliat report o'f tho liispeotor-gerierail bf . these', iristitutioris. " CojgShital and hereditary'' is tlie cause assb>n'ed in rib fowoi- thab 165 cases, arid seriility aeboiirited , for 65. . In 84 cases alcoholism is set down as the cause, arid 26 were confiiied as the result bf a dissolute life Influenza claimed 16 victims, 12 being fofflales, and 17_males' lihd 19 females were put uiider Testfairit. because' of wbat is callod " wbffy." Fifty had had a previous attiiok, arid in 59 cii3es the cause.is uh ; khbwn: One (a man) was cbrifiricd through "adversity,' arid another (a Woman) 6h account of u disappointment;" , One rrialo arid two feniailes silcoiimhed to "love troubles." One poor woman's illness is ascribed to melancholia, arid another >TOtfiJLri was prostrated by neuralgia. In brio case (a man) overwork was" the' caiise, arid tlirefc mori rtnd three women were the vibtims of bvofstudy. Tv<s cases (males) were ascribed to religion; whilb nine men fell victims to solitary life.