The twenty-third annual report of the committee of visitors of the County Lunatic Asylum at Colney Hatch : January quarter session, 1874 / [Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum].

  • London (England). County Lunatic Asylum, Colney Hatch
Date:
[1874]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The twenty-third annual report of the committee of visitors of the County Lunatic Asylum at Colney Hatch : January quarter session, 1874 / [Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/76 (page 17)
    good. An offensive smell, however, pervaded both these Wards, and in them some Patients we hear have lately had dysentery. The smell appeared to be caused by the floors being so constantly soiled, and the boards being saturated. The daily scouring which is required has no doubt been the chief cause of the dysentery. Covering the floors in these Wards with some materia] impermeable to moisture would appear to be the only way of remedying this state of things. While the Wards for the quieter and better class of Patients in both Divisions are properly furnished and supplied with books, papers, and means of amusement, in those for the worse class—more especially in the Male Division—there has been no improvement; there is still a want of more furniture in them, particularly of padded settees or benches with backs, of books, papers, games, and objects likely to interest and amuse the Patients, who should also have occupation of a useful kind. For this pur¬ pose we think that rooms connected with the Wards should be provided, and that the Patients should be encouraged by extra diet or other indulgences to employ themselves, and the Attendants (by gratuities) to persevere in promoting their employment. The beds and bedding we found quite clean, but as many as 124 Patients (44 males and 80 females) still sleep upon sackings without mattresses, and 47 males and 6 females upon mattresses placed upon the floor. A few low bedsteads have been provided since the last visit, and we hope that they will be supplied generally and the sides padded for epileptics; also that mattresses will be gradually given to the Patients now sleeping on sackings. There are still no proper rooms for buckets, mops, brooms c