Thirty-third annual report of the directors of James Murray's Royal Asylum for Lunatics, near Perth. June, 1860.

  • James Murray's Royal Asylum for Lunatics
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thirty-third annual report of the directors of James Murray's Royal Asylum for Lunatics, near Perth. June, 1860. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Rev. P. J. Stevenson of Coupar-Angus, on “ the Electric Telegraph ;” Kev. W. Arnot of Glasgow, on “ the Earth Framed and Furnished as a Habitation for Man;” Rev. P. Hately Waddell of Girvan, on “ Burns Principal Tulloch of St. Andrews, on “ CromwellDr Lyell of New¬ burgh, on “ Ventilation and Sheriff Barclay of Perth, on “ Heathen Mythology.” Parties have also been at or have visited Sinclair’s Pano- Misceiiane- rama in the City Hall; Sangers’ Circus on the North Inch ; the Perth SLnentsin Theatre Royal; Woodin’s Entertainment ; Bazaar for the East Church Perfch' Mission Chapel; the annual Races ; the various Flower Shows; and our late Chaplain’s (the Rev. R. J. Craig’s) Lectures in the Middle Church. The deaths during the year have amounted to 10—5 in male patients, Mortality, and 5 in females. The ages at death were above 70 in 1 case, above 60 in 3, above 50 in 1, above 40 in 2, above 30 in 2, and between 20 and 30 only in 1. The causes of death in 5 patients were diseases of the lungs— Causes of Phthisis in 2 cases, acute Pneumonia in 2, and senile Bronchitis in 1. In 2 cases intestinal affections proved fatal—the special form of disease being Dysenteric Diarrhoea in the one case, and acute Gastro-enteritis in the other. 2 of the remaining patients died from acute Nervous Exhaus¬ tion ; in one resulting from acute Mania, supervening in the course of General Paralysis ; while the third case proved fatal under a combination of Bright’s disease of the kidneys and valvular disease of the heart. In 7 of the deaths post-mortem examinations were obtained, and some of the latter present points of considerable interest as illustrative of the Pathology of Insanity. It is somewhat unfortunate for our pathological inquiries, that we cannot ensure necropsies in every case of death. We Necropsies, are entirely dependent on the permission or wishes of relatives or guard¬ ians, who frequently object to post-mortem examinations, from a variety of most absurd reasons—which objections, whether well founded or the reverse, we are bound to respect and obey. The most interesting of the necropsies during the year revealed, in illustrations the same patient, the following lesions: — 1, Abscess of the brain ; Pathological 2, Bright’s disease of the kidney; 3, Abscess of the kidney; 4, Mitral the'insane valvular disease [regurgitant] of the heart; 5, Atheromatous deposit in the cardiac valves; 6, Atrophy of the left lung as a result of old pleurisy ; 7, Osseo-cartilaginous metamorphosis of pleuritic effusion ; besides, 8, The presence of serious organic lesions of the brain, heart, and kidneys, without adequate attendant symptoms during life. We do not find abscess of the brain, as a lesion occurring among the Abscess of insane, at all referred to in Bucknill and Tuke’s excellent “ Manual the Biain' of Psychological Medicine.” Hence, we presume, it is at least rare in the insane. This is the only case in which we remember to have met with cerebral abscess in the insane; but in this case, we do not regard the lesion in question as having had any specific relation,