MENTAL DISEASES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 364, 15 April 1910, Page 2

MENTAL DISEASES.

CENTRAL HOSPITAL. A COMPLETE ORGANISATION. By Telegraph—Pres» Auocidtion, Wellington, Wednesday. The Hon. G. Fowlds told a Times reporter to-night that the site of the Central Mental Hospital is south of Te Awamutu and lvihikihi and north of Otorohanga. The main road from Otorohanga, to Kihikihi partly intersects it, and the nearest stations are Kawa and Te l'uhi. The estate conies within about one and a-half miles of Te Puhi station. A light railway is projected from the station into the heart of the estate. Each section will be eon•structed as the necessity arises. It is estimated that this will save time and labor and make greatly for economy. ( The area of land, in round numbers, is 5000 acres, on which it is intended to carry out agricultural pursuits, which will supply the patients with meat and all classes of farm produce. It is anticipated that when this farm .is brought into cutivation it will lessen the cost of maintenance materially. The Minister remarked: The building will first of all be placed on the part, of the estate near the station, and later these will be vacated and put to a .special purpose in regard to a complete classification scheme. In course of time the building will be placed at something over 150 ft above sea level, round the gentle slopes of a hill 207 ft high. On the top of this hill will be the water reservoir.* At the 150 ft above sea level contour will be a road, on which the various units of buildincrs will front. On this road will be a light rail or tramway, which will be employed for taking iood to the different units in properlyconstructed cases, allowing it to be

served as lint as if cooked within the unit, and other services, for example, laundry, also the medical officers', matron. etc., will thereby bo enabled to pay visits as expeditiously as through corridors of a large block of buildings. All the expense of the communicating corridors (a large cost in some of the English asylums) will be saved by a covered compartment pulling up under a portico leading into the unit. The units spoken of are buildings of varying sizes, to hold, say, from 25 up to 100 patients each, the size to be- determined by the needs iof classification, the patients being grouped together in a building designed to meet the requirements and numerical estimates of the group. These buildings will he distributed along the road at such distances that each will be to ail practical purposes a separate house in a j garden city. Midway between the groups j of the neighboring units will be a plan- ! tation screening one from the other, and i it is trusted that thereby the institu- ! tional idea will be largely eliminated. Each unit will be designed to be as home-like as possible for the class of patients to be accommodated therein. Ultimately a circle will be completed, having its beginning and end in an industrial centre, \where will be placed the kitchen, laundry, and the various | workshops. From every point of the j circle the outward view is pleasant and ! extensive, and the contained space, which is very large, will be laid out as a park with grass and fine trees. This will proi vide a unique "airing court," inasmuch as the patients will never appreciate the fact that they are enclosed therein. Railings as in ordinary parks will divide it into sections, allowing the grass to be i kept down by sheep, which will not be ! disturbed, and allow the patients to be | separated. The well-behaved will be far i enough away not to be disturbed by the ill-conducted. There is a large flat, within the proposed enclosure, which will be laid out in recreation grounds, I for cricket, tennis, bowls, etc.. and flower ! gardens (in addition to the flower gar- ■ den attached to each house). Of course, the scheme provides for a hospital ! proper and reception houses for incipient '«cases. I need hardly say that the pro-' j gramme here sketched is an extensive ' one and looks well into the future, and j this is obviously as it should be. Ido not anticipate for some years to come that there will be any considerable ad mission of acute eases, but the district is a growing one and will some day carry a large population. In the mean- ' time, while providing for the wants of j a limited number of recent cases, the i institution will be an outlet for the surj plus from the other mental hospitals—a surplus of patients more or less fit to I develop the estate. The institution will j be under the charge of Dr. Crosbv, who is going to the Old Country on leave between the closing of Mount View and the erection of the first buildings on the new site. When at Home Dr. Crosbv will visit institutions conducted on the {separate villa system—there is one in Aberdeenshire—and also institutions for the training of feeble-minded children ■of a lower srrade than those -provided for bv the Education Departments. This work will be undertaken on the new estate. which is lar?e enough to keen su<>h an institution .apart from the nr>ntal hospital proper, while there will be a decided economv in maintenance."