Third annual report of the managers of the State Lunatic Asylum : made to the Legislature January 23, 1846 / New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica.
- New York (State). State Lunatic Asylum
- Date:
- 1846
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Third annual report of the managers of the State Lunatic Asylum : made to the Legislature January 23, 1846 / New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![work in the joiners shop, and a few are employed in other kinds of business Still, for a considerable number we have not sufficient employment, and we apprehend this is a difficulty which all large Asy¬ lums have to encounter. We have studiously examined this subject, and reflected much upon the propriety of establishing some kind of business in which many can engage. But we find it difficult to deter¬ mine what kind is best. Hitherto we have found none better than carving toys and making small wooden articles. Hence we some¬ time since established what is known as a whittling shop, and which has been very popular. Several of our patients have become very skillful at this business, as is well known to those who have visited the Asylum or who saw the case of carved toys, exhibited at the State fair. Some articles carved here are not inferior to the hand¬ somest Swiss specimens, of which in fact, ours are imitations. Recently we had one of the patients, and a person in our •employ, instructed in the art of taking daguerreotype likenesses. A good instrument and apparatus has been presented by a friend, and they are now able to take likenesses inferior to none we have seen. They have already obtained ve. y perfect ones of some of the patients, and we shall soon have an interesting gallery of portraits. We are of the opinion that printing would furnish a very proper business for a considerable number of patients, and may we think be carried on without expense to the Asylum. From the recent report of the visiting justices . of the Han well Lunatic Asylum, near London, it appears that amongst other efforts which have been made for the improvement of the means of occupa¬ tion for the patients, has been the introduction of a printing press and cases of type. The report goes on to state, that this proceeding has been very beneficial in its operation, inasmuch as that, whilst on the one hand it had afforded a pleasing employment to the inmates, so, on the other, the committee had turned the matter to a profitable purpose, for the patients were able to print a variety of documents which were necessary for the use of the Asylum itself. It should be borne in mind that we have already a considerable number of patients who probably will remain with us for a long time. Some of them are not much deranged here, but when at large, in con- fSenate, No. 25.] 3](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30317502_0035.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
