Twenty-ninth annual report of the county and city of Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

  • Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Twenty-ninth annual report of the county and city of Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/94 (page 10)
    [Copy.] REPORT OP THE COMMISSIONERS IN LUNACY. Worcester County and City Lunatic Asylum, October 18th, 1881. Since we last visited this Asylum it has sustained a heavy loss by the death of Dr. Sherlock. He had been nearly 27 years in office, he was an able and conscientious Medical Superintendent. Dr. Cooke, formerly a Medical Assistant here, and lately the Medical Superintendent of Wilts County Asylum (in both positions f a rorably known by us) has been appointed his successor. He is ably assisted by Messrs. Craddock and Atkinson, who served under Dr.. Sherlock. A resolution of Quarter Sessions at Midsummer, 1880, referred to the Committee to consider and report upon the question “ whether by a classification of patients, or otherwise, the enlarge¬ ment of this Asylum could be avoided in whole or in part.” The- Committee required a report from Dr. Sherlock. It was made on the 2nd August, 1880. It went into the matter fully, described the Asylum (then containing 763 patients) as crowded, and many of the wards overcrowded; and in effect, stated that the proper remedy was the erection of another Asylum for chronic and harmless lunatics. In their report the Committee answered the question put to them in the negative. The patients of the Asylum are to-day 785. The recognised’ accommodation is for 754. It is our duty, therefore, to press upon the attention of Quarter Sessions, the necessity for further provision- for the lunatic poor of the County and City. In our opinion the- matter is urgent; financial reasons forbid the return of cases hence to Workhouses, since taking into consideration the 4s. subsidy, and the weetly rate of maintenance here, 7s. 9d.; the cost of a patient, to Guardians, is now only 3s. 9d. weekly. The best possible course appears to us to be a new building. Dor many reasons we strongly deprecate enlargement of the existing main building; and we- believe that the best and cheapest proceeding would be the purchase,.