The First Year of the Hospital: A time of Experimentation

1933-1939



In June 23, 1933, FSH recieved first patients. 32 men came from Connecicut State Hospital by bus with their attendants. Patients that gave Fairfield or Litchfield counties as their place of residence were the ones selected to come to Fairfield State. Dr. Leak evaluated their mental and physical condition once they arrived.

Hiring employees for all facets of hospital operations was a priority. While many jobs could be filled by those in the community some jobs could also be handled by patients since work was believed to be theraputic. Patients helped with not only the laundry and food services but because Fairfield State was a total institution they also helped out at the heating plant, maintenance, groundskeeping, and farming. Occupational therapy for women at this time was a sewing room in the Reception hospital (Shelton House). The women did mending under the supervision of a seamstress. Mrs. Edward G. Buckland a member of the Board of Trustees arranged for a teacher to have classes on basket weaving. As far as hospital employees finding trained attendants from Litchfield and Fairfield Counties became difficult. Dr. Walker opened the jobs up to anyone in the state to get the best canidates available.

Medical equipment was not yet available, so the hospital had to rely on community resourses. Surgical and Medical problems were taken care of at Danbury hospital. Two Newtown dentists offered their services and came once a week. Local physicians volunteered to be on call and the local clergymen took turns conducting service in the cafeteria on Sundays

. On August 1, 1934, there was the first nurse supervisor, Miss Bertha Cornwall of Ridgefield to oversee the resident nurses. Dr. Leak tried to attract more attendants by hiring them as nurses. Problems with nursing personnel continued. Because they were not trained as medical nurses, attendants were poor-quality, many resigned or dismissed for insubordination and ill-treatment of patients.

Early in 1935, to improve the appearance of the patients, 2 barbers were employeed. Before that men were shaven once a week. Dr. Leak had also put into the Board of Finance to have a women's barber but it wasn't granted.

He also requested a position for an Occupational Therapist. Miss Isabelle Bartman formerly of the Hartford Retreat was appointed on April 1, 1935. Since there wasn't a space for occuptional therapy she worked with patients on the wards with materials donated by the community. After two years the Occupational Therapy finally received money to buy equipment and they used the basement of Woodbury Hall, the unoccupied nurses' dorm. Between two therapists they planned activities for 80 patients everyday. The Occuptional Therapy department served nearly 200 patients. It was available to 24 percent of the patients at least once a week.

Two years after it's opening in July 1935, equipment for an operating room, mobile X-Ray unit, and a dental office were finally appointed. Now surgical and dental work could be performed on campus but private physicians were still called on for consultations. A full-time dentist was appointed to the dental suite.

In October 1935, Dr. Leak put in his resignation.
...desires to express to him and the purposes of the record of the institution, its appreciation of the distinguished service which he has rendered and the part which he has played in the planning and construction of this institution, its organization and management while acting in the capacity of consultant and superintendent. As an indictation of the close identification of Dr. Leak with the inception of the hospital it is worthy of note that on a tablet hung in the administration building appears the inscription 'conceived by Dr. Leak, this institution has become a reality under his guidance.
- Biennial Report of the Trustees of the Fairfield State Hospital to the Governor


Still overcrowding was a problem at Connecticut State and Norwich State, and the Commissioner of Finance and Control consulted Dr. Leak about adding 500 more beds to FSH. Leak replied that this would only be feasible if beds were put in the dorms, day rooms, porches, examining rooms, and sewing room as well as the dining room of the general hospital, club rooms in the nurse's home and in the unoccupied dorm for unmarried nurses (Woodbury Hall). In discussing with the Board of Trustees, he pointed out that this increase might include untidy and destructive patients and that the nursing staff would also have to be increased. It wasn't until Nov 11, 1935 that the Board of Trustees was notified by Commisioner Hall of Finance to prepare to accept 383 new transfer patients.

Dr. Clifford D. Moore was appointed the new Superintendance of FSH on Nov 15, 1935.

Since FSH was now filled beyond it's capacity, sketches of additional buildings were submitted to the Board of Finance and Control. These included two continued treatment units. Two units for disturbed patients, an assembly building (Plymouth Hall), and a labortory and mortuary (Yale Labortory).

Hydrotherapy was initiated in the fall of 1936 and by January 1937 more than 850 continuous baths and wet sheet packs were administered by the nurses and attendants. Dr. Moore was convinced of the theraputic value of hydotherapy. Interested in it so, he invited Dr. Rebekah Wright who was recognized as an authority in the field to instruct the staff for 6 weeks in August and September 1937 at FSH on the different types of hydrotherapy.

At one board meeting, Dr. Moore wanted to change the image of the male attendants who wore a uniform similar to a police officer, so much that visitors to the hospital called them "guards". Men were to afterwards wear the hospital white coat with a white shirt and black trousers. Outdoor attendants continued to wear the work clothes and women wore the same uniform of a light blue dress with a white bib and apron.

In 1937, morale of nursing personel went up due to raised wages and some were promoted to higher positions based on a merit basis. This was an improvement over the issues raised while recruiting nursing staff only a couple of years prior.

In March 1937, the staff dining room (Stratford Hall) was converted into a woman's dorm temporarily.

FSH was facing overcrowding. The monies for the construction of the buildings requested two years earlier was finally grated by the Legislature (over 2 million dollars). These buildings would provide housing and services for two thousand more patients. The architect chosen was Mr. Charles Wellington Walker of Hartford. The money was not only for buildings and bed capacity but also for farm buildings such as a piggery and a slaughterhouse. Fairfield State was a self sufficent enitity and the farm provided the food necessary for the Hospital. The farm unit was doing so well is sold vegetables to Laurel Hill Hospital and the police barracks in nearby Ridgefield.

Dr. Moore concerned about the juveniles who were being admitted to state hospitals. He believed that they should be separated from the adult patients. Adolescent wards were alloted for the younger patients.

Miss Helen Egan, a graduate nurse replaced Miss Cornwall who had since resignated in June 1937 as the nurse supervisor of the hospital.

August 1937, Dr. Stanley Dean who joined the staff in July as an Assistant Hospital Physician, started 'Irritative Therapy', using Metrazol to produce a convusion. This was believed to be the first time Metrazol was used in New England. Also at this time, Dr. Moore was hoping to develop an Insulin Therapy Unit. He sent Dr. Victor E. Smilgin to the Hartford Retreat (today, The Institute of Living) where Dr. Charles C. Burgame was giving instruction on the technique. This type of treatment was started in in September 1937 and discontinued in April 1938 because the patients who participated did not improve.

In June 1938, Dr. Moore presented a paper before the Connecticut Society of Psychiatry concerned with the problems of psychiatric service for the community from a State Hospital point of view. He had described his position in a five point program:
1. Improvement in the standards of hospital care.
2. Better preparation and training of workers in the field of psychiatry, including psysicians, nurses, hydrotherapist, psychiatric social workers, psychologist, occupational therapists, and psychiatric aides generally.
3. A continuing program of community education concerning the prevention and treatment of mental disorders.
4. The institution of investigations and researches into the nature and causes of mental disorders and into the priciples and methods which underlie their prevention and treatment.
Apllication of the knowledge of preventive and active treatment techniques not only to reduce the incidence rate but also allieviate the unhappiness of individuals, families, and social groups subjected to the hazards of mental disease.


At the time, the standard of hospital care was measured by the quality of care given to the patients. Care at the time was qualified by the feeding and clothing of patients, amount of supervision, as well as the low number of accidents, injuries, and death rate. Dr Moore went into detail how this five point plan would be implemented through training of personnel, coordinating efforts of all departments, community education through the "Come and See and Go and Tell" policy that the hospital had put into place.

In July 1938 the first social worker was employed to help refer patients upon discharge to community agencies for continued outpatient treatment. They also aided in improving the relations between FSH and the outlying community.

A kink was put into the system during '37-'38 when Connecticut state departments concerning Finance, Purchasing, and Personnel were reorginized. This meant to the hospital that the Board of Trustees would no longer have the authority to purchase equipment or plan new buildings. A new state department, 'Public Works' was established and would have control over such decisions. Because of this, the new buildings would be delayed. The State was going to apply federal funds to the construction of the new buildings and asked Dr. Moore and the Board of Trustees to submit a listing of buildings needed to complete Fairfield State.
Added to the existing planes was a house for tuberculoisis patients, two buildings for 'parole' patients, one occupational and recreational building, apartments, houses, a greenhouse, horse barn, as well as a salvage yard. These buildings would be intergrated into Walter Crabtree and Dr. Leak's original plan. Tunnels connecting the builings would be completed by the Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.). These tunnels would be extended from all patient buildings to the dining hall.

A nursing program was developed at Fairfield State Hospital by Miss Olive Walkley. A thirteem week course was created. Students would live on the campus of the hospital and would not be paid and the course would be restricted to 12-15 students. Miss Thelma Rounds R.N. was hired as Miss Walkley's assistant as a clinical instructor. She had professional experience at Worcester State Hospital in Massachusetts as well as Bloomingdale Hospital in White Plains, New York. The course began in August 1939 and the first ten nursing students completed it on October 30th, 1939 the same date that sixteen new students began the course.

A 'parole' program was also established. The 'Parole Unit' was for patients who needed very little supervision and those nearly ready for discharge. They were considered well-adjusted to the hospital environment but not yet reday to handle the stressors of community life. Some of these patients were placed of 'parole status' and discharged to their family or boarding homes and were periodically visited by a social worked to evaluate their assimilation into the community. The legislature voted to aid needy patients residing in boarding homes to defry the costs.

Fairfield State Hospital was off to was successful start.