Stanton monologue — The Straw

(_with a frown_) No. We're under a very hard, almost cruel imperative which prevents that. If, at the end of six months, a case shows no response to treatment, continues to go down hill--if, in a word, it seems hopeless--we send them away, to one of the State Farms if they have no private means. (_Apologetically._) You see, this sanatorium is overcrowded and has a long waiting list, most of the time, of others who demand their chance for life. We have to make places for them. We have no time to waste on incurables. There are other places for them--and sometimes, too, a change is beneficial and they pick up in new surroundings. You never can tell. But we're bound by the rule. It may seem cruel--but it's as near justice to all concerned as we can come.