Councilor Smith's bill to this effect was duly passed and was signed by the Governor on February 20, 1880.

At the outset the Board of Directors was appointed by the Legislature and consisted of six persons, three of whom held office for two years and the other three for four years-three of the board to be citizens of the county in which the asylum was situated. The Governor of the territory was always a member of the board, ex-officio.

By Section 1948 the official title of the board was declared to be The Board of Directors for the Insane Asylum."

Section 1944 directed the board to make a selection of a site for the asylum in one of four counties, viz.: Salt Lake, Utah, Davis or Weber. By this same section the board was directed to decide upon the site solely upon the grounds of healthfulness, adaptability to the purposes of the institution, cost of material for construction and convenience of access from the different portions of the territory. They were empowered to receive by gift, or to contract for and make purchase of such a site.

Section 1947 limited the plans and specifications to a basis of accommodation for not more than 250 patients at any one time. After exhaustive examination and on mature consideration of the various sites offered, the board finally decided upon Provo as being the location which, in their opinion, best fulfilled the conditions proposed by the Legislature.

By Section 3 (constitution of Utah) the site was made permanent. By Section 12 of the enabling act 1000 acres of state land were appropriated and set aside for the establishment and maintenance of an asylum for the insane.

The board appointed John H. Burton as supervising architect. In July, 1881, the plans were prepared, and soon after tenders were called for the erection of one wing. In 1882 the architect visited asylums in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Western New York.

The plans for the hospital were drawn on the wing system, to be heated with steam by direct radiation. On the death of the original architect the board appointed R. Kletting, his former associate, to fill the vacancy.

By a resolution of the Board of Commissioners " President W. N. Dusenberry and Superintendent Walter R. Pike were author

ized to visit various institutions in the East for the purpose of obtaining information for economically perfecting and conducting this institution. The information thus obtained has been of great benefit to this hospital in completing the same. The board gratefully acknowledge the courtesies and kindness extended to President W. N. Dusenberry and Superintendent Walter R. Pike, representing the board in the East, by the following gentlemen: Dr. Mathewson, of the Lincoln, Nebraska, State Asylum; Dr. George C. Palmer, superintendent, Kalamazoo, Mich.; Mr. Brannan, president, Board of Charities, New York; the superintendent of the Government Hospital, Washington; Dr. C. W. Stevens, of the St. Louis Asylum; Dr. Foster Pratt, trustee of the Michigan Asylum; and Dr. H. M. Hurd, of Pontiac Asylum, who also visited Utah and spent considerable time with the board, and to whom they are indebted for valuable information and aid."

The asylum was opened with appropriate exercises on the 15th of July, 1885, and on the 20th of the same month for the admission of patients, with Dr. Walter R. Pike in control as non-resident superintendent.

In 1896, on the admission of the territory to statehood, the new state (by Sec. 14, Art. 8, Con. of Utah) provided that the Board of Insane Asylum Commissioners should consist of the Governor, the State Auditor and the State Treasurer.

In February, 1896, Dr. Walter Pike, who had been superintendent of the asylum since its opening, tendered his resignation to take effect in 60 days, which the board reluctantly accepted, and appointed Dr. Milton H. Hardy his successor, who was succeeded, June 16, 1905, by Dr. D. H. Calder, who is still in the service. The assistant physician is Dr. C. M. Clark.

66

The name of the institution was changed in 1902 to State Mental Hospital."

The hospital consists of an administration building, which has a frontage of 93 feet 4 inches, with a depth of 69 feet, and north and south wings, which have each a frontage of 152 feet 8 inches by 37 feet 8 inches, including the transverse sections, which extend to the rear 108 feet 8 inches by 37 feet 8 inches, making a total frontage of 398 feet 8 inches.

The walls of the main building are built of sandstone and pressed brick. The basement is entirely out of the ground, and is

built of stone, 25 inches in thickness. There are seven other courses of stone encircling the building, used as sills, lintels and arches. Above the basement the brick walls are 17 inches thick; main partitions are the same. The main entrance to the building is entirely of stone, consisting of 27 steps. The building is fourstories high, with an attic, a center and two other towers. The total height of the building from grade to eaves is 68 feet; to top of center tower, 132 feet 6 inches. Construction, cornices, tower dormers and finials are galvanized iron; shingle roofs and bodine decks. The building is floored with polished Georgia pine. All walls and ceilings are hard finished; wood work, plain paint, bronze hardware.

The building is thoroughly ventilated and heated with the plenum system, together with direct radiation. The floor space is 30,100 square feet.

The buildings of the patients' department are to the north and south of the administration building. They are four stories high, with tower and cupola on each; the basements of rubble masonry (limestone); thickness of wall, 25 inches; walls above the basement of brick, with white stone trimmings; height of wings from grade to eaves, 31 feet 9 inches; transverse sections from grade to eaves, 43 feet.

The construction is fireproof, consisting of steel I-beams and hollow tile arches; Georgia pine floors (polished); window sash and transoms of cast iron; walls and ceilings, hard finish; wood work, plain paint.

In 1902 the cottage system was adopted to a limited extent; and in 1906 the open-door system was adopted in the cottages and various wards.

THE CARE OF THE INSANE IN VERMONT.

There seem to be no available records as to the care of the insane in Vermont prior to 1825. In Vermont, as elsewhere in New England, the early inhabitants were Puritans, only too likely to consider some forms of insanity as witchcraft, and others as the cruel action of Satan upon the mind. Unquestionably many, especially the devoutly religious classes, attributed this malady to supernatural causes. Such being the case, all remedial efforts were of course vain, and nothing could be done but to confine the unfortunate and wait for death.

The author of the "History of Brattleboro," published in 1880, cites the cases of Richard Whitney, a man prominent in political life and who became mentally deranged, and was obliged to be placed under restraint. His death in Hinsdale in 1806 is supposed to have suggested to Mrs. Anna Marsh the need of a hospital for the insane.

A council of physicians, one of whom is believed to have been Dr. Marsh, decided upon trying upon Mr. Whitney a temporary suspension of consciousness by keeping him completely immersed in water until he became insensible, and then resuscitating him to a new life. It was thought that this ordeal would divert his mind and, by breaking the chain of unhappy associations, thus remove the cause of his disease. Upon trial, however, this system of regeneration proved of no avail. But the failure of this experiment does not seem to have convinced the physicians of their error. Upon a subsequent trial opium was selected as "the proper agent for the stupefaction of the life forces," but with fatal results.

From an address delivered by Dr. Joseph Draper, for many years connected with the Brattleboro Retreat, we learn that the first act, passed in November, 1825, by the Legislature of Vermont regarding the insane provided for the safe custody of dangerous lunatics in prison or in charge of their friends, the latter giving bonds for them in the discretion of the county court or the judge of the same.