1904.] OF, THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. 1705

500 patients. Dr. Preston delivered a most interesting
and instructive address advocating State care for the
insane.

Among other things, he informed the Committee
that there are 4 County Assylums in the State located
as follows:

One each in Washington, Allegany, Frederick and
Cecil counties, which care for a total of about 300 in-
mates.

In addition to this, the County Almshouses confine
between 300 and 400. The insane institutions are,

1. State Institutions at Springfield and Spring
Grove.

2. County Asylums.

3. County Asylums and Bayview.

Worse conditions prevail in County Asylums than
in State Hospitals, because

1. Patients are under "custodial" care.

2. They are political institutions.

3. The physician is an ordinary practitioner.

4. Attendants are without proper training.

5. Patients are without occupation and "Idleness"
is the worse thing for an insane person.

But the worst conditions of all are to be found in
the Almshouses. "God help the inmates." They
contain the submerged lower tench with no hope, in
the' words of Dante, "Abandon hope all ye who enter
here."

In most of the counties they are a disgrace.
Sexes are mingled together.

One almshouse confined three males and five females,
insane, in a room 12 by 14 feet.

In one, a blind insane colored woman was confined
with a number of insane men.

In one county almshouse, an insane colored woman
has actuallv given birth during her confinement in the
institution to seven children