Stockton State Hospital-Medical Superintendent_. Napa State Hospital-Medical Superintendent____ Agnews State Hospital-Medical Superintendent. OFFICE OF THE STATE COMMISSION IN LUNACY. Sacramento, January 3, 1921. To the Legislature: In compliance with the statute, the State Commission in Lunacy herewith presents its twelfth biennial report, covering the two fiscal years beginning July 1, 1918, and ending June 30, 1920. The report includes such facts in regard to the institutions for the insane and feeble-minded as seem necessary for your information, with the annual reports made to the commission. Respectfully submitted. STATE COMMISSION IN LUNACY. The past two years have been rather hard ones in the state hospitals, and have not been free from trouble. Although we have increased the wages of attendants and nurses, our force has been considerably reduced owing to the high wages prevailing in factories and shipyards, and business generally, on the outside. Too, our expenses have been materially increased, in spite of considerable effort at economy. Many of our people enlisted for war service, still further crippling us, and within the two fiscal years ending June 30, 1920, we were unfortunate in having a very considerable epidemic of influenza in most of the hospitals. Agnews is the only one that escaped the first outbreak. In the hospitals of Southern California, at Mendocino, and the Home for Feeble-Minded, we had 518 cases, with 192 deaths, in spite of all efforts to quarantine against the disease. During the height of the epidemic we were so short-handed that it became necessary for us to impress farm hands and other employees to do ward work while the attendants and nurses gave their attention to the sick. Although extra duties were imposed upon all, they were faced cheerfully by the employees, who did everything within their power to ameliorate conditions. The accompanying tables will give information as to the admissions, discharges and deaths during the biennium. |