The evidence taken before a committee of the House of Commons respecting the asylum at York : with observations and notes, and a letter to the committee &c. &c. &c. / by Godfrey Higgins.
- Godfrey Higgins
- Date:
- 1816
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The evidence taken before a committee of the House of Commons respecting the asylum at York : with observations and notes, and a letter to the committee &c. &c. &c. / by Godfrey Higgins. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
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![What has become of Mr. Atkinson since he was discharged f]om the Institution?—He has set up a private Madhouse of his own at York. Do jou know that any sums of money have been misapplied ? —I have great reason to think there liave ; and I have stated my reasons at length for that opinion, in mv letter to Eari Fitzwilliam. Do you know an instance of a patient being found out of his proper place ?—Yes, I do ; one was found by Mr. Samuel Tuke and Mr. Pritchctt in the wash-house ; it was in the month of April; he was standing on a wet stone floor, apparently in the last stage of decay; he was a mere skeleton, his tliighs were covered with excrement in a dry state, and those parts v/liicli were not so, appeared excoriated, as did also some parts of his waist. The keeper, who was called, said, that the patient was not accustomed to leave his bed, that lie was a perfect child and could do nothing for himself, that his attendant was killing pigs, and could not therefore attend to him ; the bed which he was said to have left was in a most filthy state, and corresponded with that of his body : he was spoken of by all the attendants, as a dying man ; the further history of this poor creature how- ever, proved the falhicy of appearances; he was removed to anotlier part of the Asylum, wliere he was better attended to, and in a few months was so much recovered, as to be removed to his parish, in an inofixjnsive though imbecile state of mind. Martis, Q. die 3Iau, 1815. The Right Honourable George Rose, in tlie Chair. Godfrey Iliggms, Esquire, again called in, and examined. IN your examination of yesterday, you stated that it appeared by the Report, that certain patients were missing or unaccounted for ; did the Asylum, or the relatives of any of those persons so missed, take*any trouble to discover what had become of them ? —Not to my knowledge. You stated yesterday, that a considerable misapplication of the public money had taken place; will you inform the Com- mittee as briefly as you can, how that arose, and to whose use the misapplied money was appropriated ?—In the seventh page of the Report of the Committee of Inquiry, it will be seen that a classification took place in the year 1783, and it is therein also admitted, that this order was never repealed. From this it appears, that certain weekly payments were directed; and in page 29j it is stated^ that when anj patients of a better condi-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21058751_0023.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
