GOVERNMENT   HOSPITAL  FOB  THE  INSANE.  1603

Mr.  Smyser.  You  have  complaints  as  to  maltreatment  not  only
from  patients  but  perhaps  from  relatives,  do  you,  or  do  you  not?

Doctor  Wolfe.  Oh,  my,  yes.  I  just  went  through  a  course  of  that
about  two  or  three  weeks  ago.
Hr.  SiiYSER.  So  that  is  not  peculiar  to' St.  Elizabeth's  Hospital?

Doctor  Wolfe.  Not  at  all.  As  Doctor  Evans  said  yesterday,  many
of  the  relatives  of  the  patients,  while  thev  are  not  insane  still  have  a
decided  nervous  tendency  and  are  inclinedf  to  be  unreasonable  about  a
good  many  things,  and  that  is  the  source  of  a  good  many  complaints.
Of  course  there  is  this  about  it.  I  have  about  135  women  attendants
under  me.  I  can  not  employ  angels,  and  sometimes  I  get  a  girl  in
there  who  does  what  is  wrong  and  the  complaint  is  justified;  but  just
as  soon  as  there  is  any  complaint  or  even  the  appearance  of  evil  in
any  way  in  the  institution,  that  attendant  can  not  stay  there.  I  think
that  is  the  most  you  can  ask  of  any  superintendent  of  a  hospital  of
that  kind.
Mr.  Smysek.  You  would  not  tolerate  such  treatment?

Doctor  Wolfe.  Not  for  a  minute.
Mr.  Smyseb.  Doctor,  do  you  not  believe  that  is  generally  the  spirit
in  which  all  our  institutions  are  administered,  and  I  include  St.  Eliza-
beth with  all  the  other  great  institutions  throughout  the  country?

Doctor  Wolfe.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  question  about  that.
