Report of the medical officers and superintendent, with the accounts of the treasurer of the Thorpe lunatic asylum for the year 1859 / [Norfolk Lunatic Asylum].

  • Norfolk Lunatic Asylum (Norfolk, England)
Date:
[1860?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the medical officers and superintendent, with the accounts of the treasurer of the Thorpe lunatic asylum for the year 1859 / [Norfolk Lunatic Asylum]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    absent Deaths. Accidents, &c. demands; while in other cases the Medical Officers have had to combat prejudices and fears as to the enlargement of those whom they deemed to he in a fit condition. Prot itionary During the past year 7 patients—5 men and 2 women have been absent from the Asylum on probation, with an allowance in money to cases needing it; the fact that the 2 women required to be brought back to the Institution proves, the value of this provision. The only observation suggested by the obituary table (No. 7) is, that there have been more than the usual number of other diseases than the ordinary maladies incident to the insane; but there has been no epidemic sickness, and Table 8 will show that many of the patients deceased had attained an advanced age. Two grave casualties have occurred during the year. First. An aged woman suffered a severe fracture of the leg in a fall, the treatment of which, owing to the extreme restlessness of the patient was most difficult and protracted, and has resulted though the bony union is complete, in a deformed and almost useless limb, not¬ withstanding the use of the best apparatus which modern surgery could afford. Second. A hernia of old standing in a man aged forty-nine, the subject of dementia and general paralysis, became strangulated on 6th March, and was relieved by operation. The after treatment of this case was rendered troublesome by the patient’s mental condition; and even after the healing of the wound he tore through the cicaltrix. Fortunately no recur¬ rence of hernia took place, and he made a perfect recovery. Restraint ex- Restraint has been once employed during the past twelve months, for half a day only in ceptional. cage 0f a fema]_e patient for extreme maniacal violence. Seclusion rare. The use of seclusion, too, has been very rare in 1859, one man only having been the sub¬ ject of it, for seven days together for violent and insubordinate behaviour. Diet variety. The Diet, excellent in quality and quantity, is continued as heretofore, for the detail of which (Table 13) must be consulted; but a considerable variety of vegetables has been introdued not specified therein, which the medical officers, deem of much importance to health. Pure water During the early part of June, the water supplied from the river was extremely fetid, out.Pl^ carried and it was discovered that many patients had been drinking it. This was at once remedied by the extension of the supply of spring water to the extremeties of the building as had been previously directed by the committee under the advice of the medical officers. The warming apparatus of the older portions of the building is most efficient as to tern, perature, but it has been observed that it sometimes diffuses the vapour of the fuel employed- probably from being drawn into the air shafts in certain directions of the wind, not There has been no improvement in the arrangement of the Baths alluded to in the last annual report, though the provision for the washing of the inmates has been amply increased. General good In conclusion, they beg leave to express their belief that, though this asylum may still Asylum^ ^ retam some traces of the structural defects of its earlier day (this being the forty-sixth year of its establishment), the means of restoring to its inmates health of body and tranquility of mind as far as the nature of their diseases admit, with the imperfection of human knowledge Baths perfect.