570 OCCLTATIONS. 



the Ro]ier Hospital, iu Charleston, a charity founded by a bequest from 

 Mr. Thomas Roper, in 1854, and aided since by the City and State. The 

 results of the treatment in 1SS2 are as follows : Deaths, 10 per cent ; 

 cured, 8 per cent. ; discharged, improved, or on trial, G per cent. ; dis- 

 charged on other accounts, 4 per cent. ; remaining at the Asylum, 72 per 

 cent. 



The great apparent increase in tLe number of the in.sane since the 

 census of 1870 is not attributed by those who have studied the subject 

 most closely to any " sudden and surprising increase in the number of 

 luifortunates " themselves, but to the more careful and accurate methods 

 adopted in their enumeration. Owing to the very defective manner in 

 ^vhiell data regarding this matter have hitherto been collected, it is doubt- 

 ful if there is anywhere positive evidence tliat this class of diseases is on 

 the increase, much less as to the rate of such increment, if any. 



As regards the number of the insane in hospitals, especially for their 

 treatment, it appears, from the tenth census, that 44 per cent, of those in 

 the country at large were found in such institutions, while onl}' 37 per 

 cent, of the insane of South Carolina were found in such institutions. It 

 is })0ssil3le that the enumeration of these defectives was more thorough in 

 this State than elsewhere ; on the above showing it must at least have 

 been as thorough. But, making no count of this, the figures of the tenth 

 census fall far short of showing the actual state of the case in South 

 Carolina at the present time. The number of the insane in hospitals on 

 tlie first day of .June, 1880, is given at 41(3 by the census. By Dr. Grif- 

 fin's report it appears that, on the 31st of Octol;>er, 1882, there were in the 

 Asylum at Columbia 550 patients, besides 255 others under treatment, 

 during the year. So that, allowing that the 1,112 insane enumerated in 

 1880 had increased to 1,200, and making no account for those in the 

 Roper Hospital, or for such insane of the State as were under treatment 

 outside of its limits it appears that more than GO per cent, of these un- 

 fortunates Avere receiving treatment at the State Asylum at Columbia, 

 nor will the character of this charity be lessened by stating that only 25 

 of this number were pay patients. In this connection it is to be noted 

 that Dr. Griffin has practiced the system of release on probation to a 

 greater extent than has l^een done in any other asylum. Giving the 

 results of his experiments in this line in 1882, he says : " There were 

 sent home 93. Of those who were afterwards discharged as cured, 35 ; 

 as imi)roved, 13 ; as unimproved, but able to bo cared for at home, 6 ; 

 died, 5 ; 18, who were recently released, are still absent, and only IG have 

 returned. It is gratifying to state that, so far, there has been no instance 

 of violence on the part of those released." Should this plan prove equally 

 successful in future, it will largelv increase the numlxn- of those who mav 



