ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT To the Board of Managers, State Custodial Asylum, Newark, New York: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. I beg to submit in accordance with your by-laws, the following report of the operations of this institution for the year ending June 30, 1917. On July 1, 1916, our census was 855. During the year, 41 were admitted; 31 discharged, and there were 9 deaths, making our census, June 30, 1917, 856. Of the 41 women admitted, the chronological ages were as follows: They showed mental ages, as follows: 2 with mental age of 4 years. 3 with mental age of 5 years. 6 years. 7 years. 8 years. 6 with mental age of 2 with mental age of 12 years. There were sixteen court commitments during the year. Of the 41 women admitted, 7 were married and had given birth to twenty-four legitimate and seven illegitimate children. The 34 single women admitted had given birth to nine illegitimate children. Of the 31 women discharged, seventeen had passed out of the child bearing period. One was discharged after a writ of habeas corpus. Six were transferred by their county authorities to other institutions, to make room for younger women. Six were placed in private homes; and one became insane and was transferred to the State Hospital for the Insane. Of the nine deaths, the causes were as follows: Pulmonary tuberculosis Cerebral apoplexy Hypertrophy of thyroid gland. Influenza Status epilepticus More and more are we impressed, as we study further the problem of the mentally sick, of the urgent need of a more comprehensive and definite policy for dealing with all classes of the mentally sick including the insane, the feeble-minded and epileptic. As a first step, there should be provided a State Department of Mental Hygiene. This department should be in charge of a competent commissioner, as is the State Department of Health, and be organized with divisions in much the same way as the State Department of Health. The State should then be divided into mental hygiene districts, with a superintendent in charge of each district. The advantages of this would be that all classes of the mentally sick would be under closer supervision. The institutions for caring for the mentally sick, while a necessary part of the work, are not the most important. The determination of those who are mentally defective or needing care, especially among the school children, the proper arrangement for their care and treatment; and the matter of their proper supervision after they have received treatment in some special class or institution, are the important things that can best be met by working in a district much smaller than the whole State. And it is to be hoped that the State Hospital Development Commission may not rest from its labors until some such definite plan is laid before the Legislature. Owing to the advanced cost of materials and labor, our per capita cost for maintenance for the year came up to $167.06, and the probabilities are that there will be a further advance for the next fiscal year. However, we are making every effort, consistent with the best care of our inmates, to keep our maintenance expenditures at the lowest possible limit. To keep such a large family contented is a task well nigh beyond possibility. And inasmuch as they are all children in mind, entertainment plays a large part in making them as happy as we may. And during the year, the following entertainments were provided: 1916 July 4. The usual celebration. July 12. July 19. July 26. July 31. July 160 honor girls went to Sodus. Sewing room girls' picnic. Birthday party in charge of Miss Barkholdt. Aug. 8. 340 honor and blue ribbon girls attend the Chautauqua Band Concert. Aug. 9. Miss Dillon, reader. Miss Moore and Mrs. Coykendall gave an entertainment. Aug. 10. Mr. McKay, story-teller, gave an entertainment at 1:30 P. M. |