An analysis of the work done by the Psychopathic Department from 1912 to 1920 shows a total of 14,922 admissions to the wards,—an average of 1,865 per year. Of these, 59.77 per cent were temporary care (10 day) cases, 18.56 per cent "Boston Police" cases, 1.38 per cent observation cases (thirty-five days), .50 per cent emergency cases, .61 per cent committed "pending examination and hearing," 1.02 per cent under complaint or indictment and 16.96 per cent were voluntary cases. The entire temporary care group, including all of the above classes except the voluntary and criminal cases, constituted 81.34 per cent of the admissions. It is interesting to note that the principal psychoses represented by the cases coming into the hands of the Boston Police are dementia praecox, alcoholic psychoses and mental deficiency. The number of emergency cases is very small, as is the number committed by courts for observation. The number of voluntary admissions, an average of 316 per year, constituting 16.96 per cent of the total, is very significant as showing the response to be expected from the public to an opportunity for hospital treatment without the formality of any legal procedure. Of the 14,922 cases admitted between 1912 and 1920, 38.45 per cent were subsequently committed as insane and 3,797, or 25.44 per cent, were returned to the community as not requiring further hospital care or treatment.
It has been shown that the special field covered by the Boston Psychopathic Hospital consists of temporary care cases. The principal psychoses represented by 12,252 admissions of that class were as follows: alcoholic psychoses, 9.25 per cent; dementia praecox, 25.0 per cent; senile psychoses, 3.16 per cent; general paresis, 6.06 per cent; manic-depressive psychoses, 10.14 per cent; arteriosclerosis, 3.23 per cent; epilepsy, 1.85 per cent; and without psychoses, 20.63 per cent.
This latter class (without psychosis) is looked upon by some as constituting the most important field of a psychopathic hospital. It is exceedingly interesting to note the conditions which bring such individuals to the institution. An analysis of 1,430 cases shows the principal mental types represented to be as follows:—mental deficiency, thirty-four per cent; psychopathic personality, 15.17 per cent; hysteria, neurasthenia and other psychoneuroses, 11.2 per cent; epilepsy, 8.04 per cent; alcoholism, 6.08 per cent; conduct disorders, 4.2 per cent; syphilis, 2.03 per cent; organic brain diseases, 1.68 per cent; neurosyphilis, 1.26 per cent; drug addictions, 1.4 per cent; somatic conditions, 1.19 per cent, etc.