Memorial soliciting enlarged and improved accommodations for the insane of the state of Tennessee : by the establishment of a new hospital / by Miss D. L. Dix ; printed by order of the General Assembly, November, 1847.

  • Dorothea Dix
Date:
1847
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Memorial soliciting enlarged and improved accommodations for the insane of the state of Tennessee : by the establishment of a new hospital / by Miss D. L. Dix ; printed by order of the General Assembly, November, 1847. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    rience of several years, concurs in the opinions quoted above, and urges in eloquent language, the early care of the Insane by qualified persons; recommending as the best economy as well as humanity, that a State can practice, prompt and entire provisional care of the Insane. No fact indeed is better established in all Hospital annals than this; that it is cheaper (we now set aside the plea of humanity) to take charge of the Insane in a curative Insti- tution, than to support them elsewhere for life. In the Massachusetts State Hospital, at Worcester, then in charge of Dr. Woodward, in 1843, twenty-five old,cases had cost $54,157 00 Average expense of old cases 2,166 20 Whole expense of twenty-five recent cases till recovered, 1,461 30 Average expense of recent cases 58 45 In the Maine State Hospital at Augusta, in 1842, twelve old cases had cost $25,300 00 Average expense of old cases 2,108 33 Whole expense of twelve recent cases 426 00 Average expense of recent cases 35 50 In the Ohio State Hospital at Columbus, in 1844, thirty-five old cases had cost the counties and State, $35,464 00 Average expense of old cases 1,418 56 Whole expense of twenty-five recent cases, 1,608 00 Average expense of recent cases till recovered- • 64 32 In the Western State Hospital at Staunton, Va., twenty old cases had cost $41,633 00 Average expense of old cases 2,081 S5 Whole expense of twenty recent cases 1,265 00 Average expense -of twenty recent cases till re- covered 63 25 It appears unnecessary to multiply examples derived from other Hospitals, whether in locations near to or remote each from the other; but reference to other records may be made, if additional evidence is needed to prove t]ie economy both to citizens individually, to counties, or to States, of estab- lishing curative Institutions for the Insane.