Third annual report of the medical superintendent of the Manchester Royal Lunatic Hospital, situate near Cheadle, Cheshire, for the year from June 25th, 1852, to June 24th, 1853.

  • Manchester Royal Lunatic Hospital
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Third annual report of the medical superintendent of the Manchester Royal Lunatic Hospital, situate near Cheadle, Cheshire, for the year from June 25th, 1852, to June 24th, 1853. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    durable of all diseases. The numerous cases cited in this and in my former reports, show that a large majority of the recent cases under treatment have recovered, and I may state that in most of those cases which have terminated fatally, death has resulted either from the patient’s being so far gone, ere he came under treatment, as to be past that stage at which human prescriptions can be applied effectively, or from his laboring under some other disease than that which was the immediate cause of the insanity. If, then, insanity be not a specific disease, and if it be capable of such treatment as will be likely to effect a cure, we can understand from observation of those who labour under it, what is the nature of the disease, and what are the causes which have produced it. I believe the causes of insanity are in general found to be either an over-taxing of the meritaU faculties, sudden emotions, too close application to business, excessive care, or melancholy arising from personal calamities, or constitutional tendencies; these circum¬ stances operating on the brain, in a way which produces derange¬ ment in its organic structure, are the immediate causes of insanity. This being the manner in which the disease is produced, and the producing cause being for the most part known to all who have intercourse with the person affectpd, what does common sense say as to the remedy likely to prove most effective in the removal of the disease ? The most obvious answer which suggests itself is this: Remove the cause, and the effect will cease.” All other remedies must give way to this one; whatever prejudice, under the garb of superior knowledge, may suggest as to the cause or the treatment of the malady, must be rejected by every one who takes this common-sense view of tKe matter, especially if by a sufficient induction of cases we can establish the fact, that this is the best and most successful method of cure, I do not mean to say there is a certainty of cure in every case; there are peculiarities in particular cases which may hinder cure, or the disease may have made too much progress (ere the treatment was begun), or the constitutional tendencies to insanity may be so strong that the cure may fail in some instances; that in the incipient stages, however, of the disease, the removal of the cause will be followed by the cessation of the effect, will be found to be the general rule, and the cases in which recovery does not take place, the exceptions. If excessive application to business has produced it, let the patient lay aside all care of it; it adverse circumstances in business, or otherwise, let friends do what they can to relieve the mind from occupying itself about these; it it be vicious habits, let the means of indulging in. them be removed; this, it sufficiently attended to, will be found ia a large majority of cases to effect the relief of the sufferer, and pro¬ mote the desired cure. But then the mind cannot be allowed to remain unoccupied; an antidote must be employed; man’s mind is formed for activity ; let him have nothing to do, nothing on which to fix his attention, ^nd If i I ] r V S I