First report of the Durham County Asylum.

  • Durham County Asylum (Sedgefield, England)
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First report of the Durham County Asylum. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    refusing her food for some time, and was, on admission, labouring under a low form of Pneumonia, and, although compulsory alimentation was had recourse to several times a day, she gradually sank, and died nine days after her reception. The two remaining women were cases of long stand¬ ing. A man, who was labouring under a peculiar form of paralysis, died from exhaustion, his end being probably hastened by a fracture of the lower jaw. Information was given to the coroner that an epileptic was found dead in bed one morning, having apparently been suffocated by turning on his face during the night, but an inquest was thought to be unnecessary. With these exceptions we have no case of accident to record, for which, as well as the continued absence of any epidemic disease, we have great cause for thankfulness. One man died the day after his ad¬ mission from exhaustion -cansequent on a violent attack of mania; two cases of general paralysis, admitted in a dying state, died after one month’s residence. Among the admissions and discharges are three—1 man and 2 women—who are recorded aly not insane. The two women were received from Durham Grao), on orders from the Secretary of State, but up to the time of their discharge they exhibited no symptoms of insanity. The male patient was admitted labouring under a low form of typhus fever, from which he recovered very slowly. Tables XIY. and XV, show the numbers of insane persons, in¬ cluding idiots, chargeable to Unions within the county on the 1st January of 1859 and 1860, from which it will be observed that the actual increase during the last year has been 23 persons, 13 men and 10 women. It will also be observed that in one workhouse there are no fewer than 61 persons of unsound mind, in 20 of whom the disease has not been of two years’ . duration, and in half of these has existed for periods varying from four days only to nine months. From the returns lately made by the clerks of the different Unions we regret to learn that it is not an unfrequent practice to allow young and middle-aged women of weak intellect to live by themselves “ in their own N hired houses.” Within our own knowdedge cases have occurred where such women have become the mothers of illegitimate children, and have thus been the means of adding to the insane population. Most patients received during the past year have been labouring under some form of debility; but, indeed, as was said before, insanity must