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which number may be increased to two hundred and sixty-eight. It is to be of brick, with basement of stone, and the whole may be stuccoed in imitation of stone work. The centre building is of three stories, and is designed for the offices only. First floor contains reception parlors, libraries, apothecary's room, offices, &c. Second floor (to which there ́is a private entrance,) residence of Superintendent; third floor, apartments for officers. The basement contains store rooms and kitchen for officers. An air flue passes through the centre under the basement.

The wings are of two stories, each fifteen feet in height. They are designed to accommodate eight classes of each sex. The basements are used for air-ducts only; all service rooms are in the cross wings, which are three stories in height. Each of these wings, except the two end ones, are parallel to the others, but set back a sufficient distance to command windows at each end, which serve to light the corridors, or halls; instead of a window at one end only, as is the case with Asylums generally. As for the sake of greater economy, the corridors have rooms on each side, this additional large window helps greatly to remove the objectionable feature of a long, gloomy hall. In addition to this, a new feature is added, by forming a large recess, or bay, midway in the hall, well lighted, and which will serve as a sitting room for the patients.

A building, to serve as a Chapel on the first floor, with kitchen offices below, is arranged immediately in the rear of the centre building.— This feature (which is also new,) is considered an important improvement, since it dispenses with servants' rooms in the main edifice, and the Chapel, instead of being (as is usual,) in an upper story, is brought to the level of the first floor, being connected by a corridor with the main edifice. The patients are thus enabled to enter the Chapel without having to pass through other wards than their own. It also allows the Chapel room to be of any desired height. Connected with the Chapel is a clock and bell tower, for properly regulating the work-hours of those connected with the establishment.

Two infirmaries are also contemplated, in detached buildings, but connected by covered corridors with the male and female wards. This feature enables the sick to be removed and properly cared for, without the wards, where the physicians can visit them frequently, and in the night, if necessary, without disturbing the house; where the very ill

may be visited, and, if advisable, nursed by friends; where the dying can be administered to, and the dead removed without unnecessary observation; and where isolation can be effected in contagious or infectious diseases.

Another feature of great importance is the arrangement of the wing connections, by brick walls with iron doors, in such a manner as completely to shut off communication between the wards in case of fire. The stories are divided by brick arches thrown from iron girders, laid with sleepers above, to receive the floor, and the ceilings plastered below in the usual manner, thus isolating each story, and rendering the building completely fire proof.

The style adopted for the architectural details is Italian. It is plain but unique in character, and sufficiently relieved by agreeable detail to please the eye and excite cheerful sentiments. The prison-like aspect so often given to public buildings of this nature, is particularly objectionable in the case of the insane, whose imaginations are easily excited by the objects surrounding them, and daily presented to thetr view.

CHARACTER OF SITE.

The site selected for the buildings is near the north end of the Asylum tract, and about one mile removed from the village. In order better to accommodate the buildings to the nature of the ground, it was found advisable to purchase a small piece of land adjoining the tract consisting of seven and seventy-six hundredth acres, which was done at a cost of five hundred and twenty-five dollars: making the whole number of acres now appropriated to the Asylum purposes, one hundred and sixty-seven and seventy-six hundredths acres. Most of this land is finely timbered with the original growth of oak, hickory and other trees which fortunately had been allowed to stand; thus permitting the very great advantage of preserving such as may be necessary for the most convenient laying out and adornment of the grounds. serve about fifty acres in groves and woodland buildings, to be tastefully laid out in walks and beauties enhanced by art. The ground in rear of the buildings is of broken character, and falls, by a series of ravines, clothed with timber, about eighty feet to the valley below, through which flows a small but rapid stream of pure water. This stream is capable of supplying the

It is designed to preimmediately about the drives, and its natural

requisite large amount of water for the use of the Asylum, while the elevation gives every facility for drainage.

The situation is sufficiently elevated above the village of Kalamazoo, to bring the buildings in view from that place, and also from the Michigan Central Rail Road which crosses a corner of the tract. The view obtained from the windows of the Asylum will be very pleasing, embracing a fine and well settled country, traversed by the Kalamazoo river and its tributaries. Probably few situations in the United States, which have been selected for similar purposes, equal this in natural beauty and advantages.

WARMING AND VENTILATION.

Arrangements have been made with Joseph Nason, Esq., of New York, to furnish and put up steam engine, boilers, pipes and other apparatus, for a system of forced ventilation. This subject has received the careful attention of the Board, and they have become satisfied that no other method is so capable of performing the necessary part of warming and ventilating so large an establishment.

It is now generally conceded, that the old methods of heating by furnaces are exceedingly defective and incompetent, while they afford far too little means of keeping the rooms constantly supplied with pure air.

Warming and ventilating should go on together. Means should be provided for expelling the foul air, to the same extent as the fresh air is admitted. Without this, no system of warming is either economical or perfect. Examination and inquiry have confirmed the fact, that the ordinary system of making the ventilation depend upon the spontaneous action of warm air currents, has failed to give satisfactory results in all sanitary institutions. In the plan proposed, this double object is effected, by means of a fan or blower, worked by steam, by which fresh air is blown into the air ducts, passing in its way over iron plates or pipes heated by steam, and thence distributed over the whole building, by ample flues; while the contaminated air of the rooms is carried off by means of large ventilating flues, passing up into the attic, and terminating at a common point in the cupolas. This apparatus will be capable of discharging into the ducts leading to the building, sixty thousand cubic feet of air per minute. It will operate to force in either warm air or cold; preserving at all seasons, from the coldest to the most

warm and stagnant weather, throughout the buildings, a supply of perfectly pure air, at the desired temperature, more than equal to the consumption of every individual.

In this arrangement, the boilers are placed in a building, separated by a distance of several hundred feet from the buildings occupied by the patients. Thus all danger from fire or explosion will be avoided, and fire will scarcely, if ever, be needed in any part of the Asylum. The buildings have been planned with reference to the use of this apparatus, the cost of which will be about twenty-three thousand dollars. It is proposed to light the Asylum with gas, manufactured on the premises, in a small detached building.

PROGRESS OF THE BUILDING.

The erection of the centre portion of the main building was commenced as early as was practicable, last spring. A favorable contract was entered into with Mr. Tobias Johnson, an experienced builder, for the mason work, and he has proceeded dilligently and faithfully with the work, until the means were exhausted.

A statement of the amount of appropriation expended, and the objects to which it has been applied, will be found in the appendix. The amount thus expended is seventeen thousand four hundred and eightyseven dollars, and forty-five cents. The small balance remaining will not be more than is required to meet outstanding contracts for materials. A considerable amount of these materials is on hand, and there are contracts partially fulfilled, for bricks and other materials, to be delivered during the winter. About eight hundred dollars is also due contractors, for per centage, retained according to the law.

The walls of the basement, and of the first and second stories of the centre building, and about four feet of the third story had been laid up, when the work was brought to a stop, early in September. It was hoped that the entire walls of the centre building could be completed and roofed in. This was found impossible, with the means at our disposal, but the work done, has been rendered secure against the winter in the best manner practicable.

COST.

The Board have not arrived at a very close estimate of the ultimate cost of the Asylum buildings and fixtures, which at this time is hardly possible; but they have reason to suppose the entire expense wil fall lit

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tle, if any, short of two hundred thousand dollars. And this sum they are unanimously of opinion, is not larger than is required, to make such provision for the care of her insane, as the true interest of the State demands. As our State is new to this class of expenditure, and there are probably few of her citizens who are familiar with Institutions of the kind proposed, the Board feel called upon to state some of the reasons upon which they have based this estimate, and demand so considerable an appropriation.

It should be borne in mind that an Institution for the Insane, is not one of custody merely, but of cure. Insanity is a disease as curable as any other acute disease of equal severity, if taken in its early stages. Under the modern enlightened system of management, by far the larger number of cases, under such circumstances, are recoverable. The statistics of Asylums in the United States show, that of recent cases, from eighty to ninety per cent are discharged, cured, or greatly improved; of chronic cases about thirty per cent. Few of these cases probably would have been cured, had the patients been subjected to the old methods of confinement, or even the ordinary treatment of friends, and of physicians, out of a curative Asylum. When, therefore, we consider the fearful nature of this disease, and its results, if suffered to pass without the treatment necessary for restoration, and the number of cases which are of recent origin in our population, it seems the part of a wise and humane State policy, and one of the noblest of all public charities, to make the most ample provision possible for all her unfortunate insane. No facility should be left unapplied, nor expense spared which is known to be conducive to so important an end.

Of the States which compose this Union, twenty-seven have established Asylums for the Insane. These differ much in size, cost and væ riety of accommodations. Some of the States have found it necessary to erect several. Massachusetts has six; New York, five; Pennsylvania, four; Ohio, three. We subjoin a statement of the cost of a few of the best of these Institutions:

State Lunatic Asylum, Utica, N. Y. cost,
Penn. Hospital for the Insane, Penn.,
McLean Asylum, Massachusetts,

$517,000, for 450 patients.

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