The report of the Committee of Visitors of the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum, for the year 1859 : presented to the Court, at Wakefield sessions, January 3rd, 1860.

  • West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The report of the Committee of Visitors of the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum, for the year 1859 : presented to the Court, at Wakefield sessions, January 3rd, 1860. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    We suggest that the latter be provided with better suits for Sundays, and of a lighter material during the summer months, and that as respects both sexes, there he a greater variety of dress. In reply to our inquiries respecting the system and results of the night watch, we were informed as follows . - On the male side there is one night attendant, who is exclusively employed as such, and who is assisted by the ordinary attendants (one each night) in turn, excepting the two in Ivy Cottage who are exempt from this duty. The assistants receive no remuneration for this special service. The arrangement is similar in the female division, excepting that there is a second night nurse, who sits up in the dormitory of No. 25 ward in which the suicidal patients chiefly sleep. The hours of duty are from 10 p. m. to 6 a. m., during which time the night attendants visit the wards once in every two hours. According to their returns on the night before our second visit 31 patients, 16 men and 15 women, were found to have soiled or wet their beds. We submit a recommendation that two or more regular night attendants should be employed for each division of the Asylum, and that the duty should not be taken as at present by the ordinary attendants. Any nurse sitting up in the dormitory above referred to should, we think, be considered supernumerary.
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