Annual medical report of the Kent County Lunatic Asylum, at Barming Heath, Maidstone, for the year 1853-4, ending July 4th : presented to the Committee of Visitors, September 9, 1854 and to the Court of General Sessions, October 1854.

Kent County Lunatic Asylum

Date:: 1854

Credit: Annual medical report of the Kent County Lunatic Asylum, at Barming Heath, Maidstone, for the year 1853-4, ending July 4th : presented to the Committee of Visitors, September 9, 1854 and to the Court of General Sessions, October 1854. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$of her ward, tinder the ordinary circumstance of unlocking her door to get her up for the day. I was immediately summoned, saw the patient hanging, satisfied myself that she had been long dead and inspected all the details which I have described. “ No. 4. I have no copy of the depositions made at the inquest. A copy might perhaps be obtained of Mr. Kipping, Maidstone, Coroner for the Borough. The witnesses were five in number, viz.: the nurse who last saw her alive, the nurse who discovered her dead, the two nurses who were on night-duty and myself. A copy of the verdict is subjoined:—{ I hereby certify that, at an inquest held by me at the Kent County Lunatic Asylum, in the Borough of Maidstone, Kent, this twelfth day of August, 1853, on the body of M. B., the jury returned a verdict that the ‘ Deceased hung herself during insanity.’ (Signed) Thomas Kipping. u No. 5. I fully explained all the circumstances to three of the Visitors, on the occasion of their visiting the Asylum on the 13th inst., in the course of their duty under the 45th section of the 8th and 9th Viet., cap. 126; and such explanation was attended with their personal inspection of the room where the accident occurred, and by their particular and minute enquiry into all the circum¬ stances of the case. tl Lastly; no special precautions were peculiarly adapted to, and enjoined in the case of M, B. To receive a suicidal patient into the Asylum is, unfortunately, a most common occurrence, and there is a special rule (permitting of no exception whatever) designed for this particular case; viz. that which requires the careful removal of all the clothing from bedrooms at night. As far as human care could be expected to provide, that rule was attentively observed, in this instance, on the night in question. “ An especial precaution was therefore taken for the prevention of this very accident, and its failure illustrates anew the common observation that, to the determined suicide, opportunity need never be long wanting. “ I am, &c., “ JAMES E. HUXLEY, M.D., Superintendent. “ R. \Y. S. Lutwidge, Esq.” [No. 3.] “ Office of Commissioners in Lunacy, “ August 27, 1853. “ Sir,—With reference to the case of M. B., I am directed by the Board to enquire in what way the patient was, as described, dan¬ gerous to others; whether she had, during her residence in the$