I received a letter of November 26th signed by yourself and other citizens of Hickory in regard to the son of Mr. John K. Crouch.

I have made a careful investigation of this case and the record discloses that it is one of the most distressing cases that has come to the State Hospital. According to the certificate of the physician in the commitment papers this boy was an epileptic in the last stages of the disease when he reached the Hospital. The Hickory physician states that he was absolutely without mind. When he reached the Hospital his arm was in a splint, having been injured from falling in one of his attacks. He had on an average two attacks a day, and frequently in falling would injure himself. His condition became so bad that he had to be removed to the Hospital ward where he was given unusual attention. His clothes and his bed linen were changed from three to four times a day, and every attention was given him that was possible.

Being absolutely without mind he was unspeakably filthy in his habits, and these habits are responsible for the body sores that were found on him. I am persuaded that no amount of medical skill could have prevented the gradual wasting away of this boy. The Hospital is short in its complement of nurses, and it is simply impossible to get the full number for love or money. The Hospital is now paying twice as much for nurses as it has been in the habit of paying and is running in debt every month. You know that the Legislature makes a specific appropriation and the Hospital is expected to keep within this appropriation, but on account of the unusual conditions I have advised the authorities to spend whatever money is necessary to keep the hospital in first class condition, and yet with all this it is simply impossible to get a sufficient number of doctors and nurses. For example, the nurse on this ward had to look after twenty-four patients, and as a matter of fact gave more time to this boy than she did to any other patient in the ward.

Dr. Anderson has written an exhaustive letter on this subject to Dr. W. H. Nicholson, and I would be glad for you to see Dr. Nicholson and go over the matter with him. I am profoundly convinced that the Hospital authorities did everything for this patient that they could do with the facilities at their command.