Public Administration at Bryce Hospital, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

An important activity of government in the twentieth century is that of maintaining and operating facilities for the treatment of mental illness. Despite the growing importance of this field of activity, not much has been written about it from the standpoint of the student of public administration. This study is an attempt to approach that field of activity from an administrative point of view.

The study is intended to present, in sequence: (1) a resume of Alabama mental hospital history; (2) a case study in administration; and (3) a survey of personnel conditions. More secondary in nature is the attempt to relate the hospital situation to external as well as internal stimuli and to suggest a number of possible improvements for administration in a specific state mental hospital. In general the study is limited to these broad confines.