[Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow.

  • Glasgow (Scotland)
Date:
1947
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1947] / Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    institutions to which they were evacuated in 1939 at the outbreak of the war and does not indicate any real increase in the number of new cases admitted. New admissions are largely regulated by the nursing staff available and, as has already been pointed out, there is a serious shortage in this direction, so that there still remains a considerable amount of accommodation in several of the mental hospitals which cannot be utilised. Modern forms of treatment continue to be used in all the mental institutions with satisfactory results. Many of the new admissions had already been under treatment in the psychiatric units and had failed to respond to treatment, and many were suffering from one or other of the more chronic forms of mental disorder. It is to the credit of the mental hospitals that they are able to maintain a satisfactory recovery rate year after year in spite of the unpromising material admitted. Electric convulsant therapy, hydrotherapy, pyrotherapy and the use of malaria in the treatment of general paralysis continued to be employed during the year. In last year’s report attention was drawn to the neglected state of the grounds at Gartloch owing to the lack of patient labour in that institution consequent upon the evacuation of the patients elsewhere. During the year a number of the patients returned to Gartloch, and already considerable improvement has been effected in this direction. Outdoor work in the grounds of the hospital is an excellent form of occupational therapy and is of great benefit to the patients, mentally and physically. In expressing appreciation of the concerts and dances provided during the winter and spring months, weekly cinema shows and the bus outings during the summer months, all of which are greatly appreciated by the patients, Dr. Dick, Medical Superintendent of Hawkhead Mental Hospital, is voicing the unanimous opinion of the Superintendents of all the Corporation mental hospitals. In the Electro-therapeutic Department at Hawkhead the following attendances and treatments were given during the year : Convulsant Therapy Mercury Vapour Infra Red Vibro Massage X-rays Fever Cabinet 679 130 96 44 67 26