PROVISION FOR THE INSANE 113 



present capacity the question of transportation became an 

 important one in its administration. Supplies and passengers 

 are now carried back and forth Ijy team. For some time past 

 it has been the intent to estabhsh connection between this 

 colony and the parent institution by means of an electric rail- 

 way. Appropriation has not yet been made for this and hence 

 the colony has not been enlarged. It may be mentioned that 

 for twelve years the milk from the Brook farm has been de- 

 livered twice each day to the original asylum with a team 

 driven b}^ patients. One man has done most of this work. 

 His routine has been broken into on one occasion by a week's 

 visit to the Pan-American exposition and again by a similar 

 outing to the exposition at St. Louis. It will thus be seen 

 that the chronic, able-bodied patients at the Michigan asylum 

 are to a considerable extent cared for in colonies. 



In 1898 was opened a hospital for acute cases among 

 women. It has accommodations for 52 patients. The gen- 

 eral principle upon wiiich it is arranged, furnished and man- 

 aged is that of a small sanitarium. Into this building is taken 

 nearly ever}^ woman that is admitted to the institution. The 

 only exceptions are pronounced epileptic insanities and some 

 of the extreme senile and post-hemiplegic cases. Every facil- 

 ity is provided for the scientific care and treatment of cases. 

 Patients are placed in bed and strongly impressed with the 

 idea that they have entered a hospital, that they are sick, and 

 the object to be attained is their recovery. Each woman is 

 put to bed in a room by herself, is given the attention of one or 

 more nurses, if required, by both day and night. The object of 

 placing patients in bed is primarily to impress upon them the 

 fact that they have come to a hospital for treatment, that they 

 are sick or distressed in mind or body or both and are in ^need 

 of care and attention. The influence of this special hospital- 

 ization has a marked effect for good upon the nurses. Patients 

 are kept in bed so long as their condition seems to require. 

 Depending upon their physical and mental condition, they may 

 be allowed within a few days or a week to be up and dressed, 

 about the wards or out of doors. Many patients, however, 

 are kept in bed for several weeks. If this is the case after 



the expiration of two or three weeks, systematic massage is 

 Vol. 10-8 



