The public asylums of the province of Quebec / by Daniel Hack Tuke.

  • Daniel Hack Tuke
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The public asylums of the province of Quebec / by Daniel Hack Tuke. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Lawrence in approaching Montreal from Quebec, is built of red brick, and consists of a centre and wings. Some of the latter have been added three or four years ago ; others are now in course of erection, and will not be finished till the end of the year. Dr. Henry Howard, the visiting physician, kindly facili- tated ray desire to see the asylum, and escorted a small party, consisting of Dr. Ross of Montreal, Dr. S. Mackenzie of London, and myself, to the institution. I must express to Dr. Howard my lasting obligations for his attention and assistance. We were received by the Mother Superior, Ste. Th^rese, who had been apprized of our visit. She conducted us through the building; was most courteous in her manner and in replying to the nume- rous questions with which I troubled her. I am glad to have this further opportunity of thanking her and the nuns who were ■with her for their kindness throughout the visit. The neatness and cleanliness of the hall, reception-room and office strike the visitor very favorably on entering the establish- ment. The Apothecaire is a model of neatness. The nuns have themselves published a pharmaceutical and medical work, a large volume, entitled Traite JElementaire de Matiere Medicale et Guide Pratique, a copy of which the worthy Mother Superior was good enough to present to me. I was somewhat disappointed to find, on examining its pages, that only one was devoted to mental alienation, of which nine lines suffice for the treatment of the disorder. Among the moral remedies, I regret to see that punitions are enumerated ; their nature is not specified. Two skeletons in the Aijothecaire were shown to us by Ste. Th(5rese, as being much valued subjects of anatomical study for the nuns, who would, it is not unlikely, consider their knowledge of the medical art sufficient for the needs of the patients. The law, however, obliges a medical man to reside in or near the asylum. Dr. Pcrrault, whom we did not see, occupies this post. This officer is appointed and paid by the Sisteis ; the visiting physician, on the contrary, is appointed and paid by the Provincial Govern- ment. We looked down upon a very largo kitchen, where cook- ing by steam was going actively on, and a fiivorable impression as to the supplies was loft upon the mind by the busy scene which presented itself. The amount of vegetables (potatoes,
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