Fiftieth report of the Board of Visitors of Brooklyn State Hospital to the Department of Mental Hygiene for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1945.

  • Brooklyn State Hospital.
Date:
[1945]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Fiftieth report of the Board of Visitors of Brooklyn State Hospital to the Department of Mental Hygiene for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1945. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR To the Board of Visitors: In accordance with the provisions of Mental Hygiene Law, I respect¬ fully submit this, the Fiftieth Annual Report of Brooklyn State Hos¬ pital for the year ended March 31, 1945. The records of the senior business officer and deputy treasurer are included in, and made a part of, this report. Notwithstanding the many handicaps caused by wartime conditions, we have maintained a high standard of medical, surgical and psychiatric treatment of patients admitted to the institution during the year. The outpatient department, consisting of two child guidance clinics and sev¬ eral mental hygiene clinics, has continued to function at a high standard of efficiency and without interruption. Although it has been necessary for us to employ many inexperienced persons, we have maintained a pro¬ gram of intensive instruction to the end that after a short period of time these employees were able to obtain such information as they needed to carry on their work, thereby enabling them to render efficient service. The shock therapy units have continued to function uninterruptedly throughout the year. Attached to and made a part of this report, will be found tables which show the extent of treatments administered and results obtained. Notwithstanding their many duties at the hospital, the members of the medical staff, social workers, nurses and employees have given liber¬ ally of their time to various community projects, particularly those per¬ taining to civilian defense. Members of the staff have given courses of lectures to the public in first aid and home nursing. The director, as chairman of the Consumer’s Committee of the 71st Precinct, was closely associated with all of the civilian defense activities in the police precinct in which the hospital is located. The care of the aged has become an increasingly important problem, as is indicated by the percentage increase of first admissions of patients suffering from senile psychosis and cerebral arteriosclerosis both through¬ out the State and at this hospital. In the hospital we endeavor to segre¬ gate these patients into groups where they are given careful nursing care and attention, and are not subjected to the likelihood of injury through contact with younger patients on the other wards in the hospital. During the past year 185 veterans were admitted for care and treat¬ ment. A large number of these were given shock therapy and soon im-