Thirty-fourth annual report by the directors of James Murray's Royal Asylum for Lunatics, near Perth. June, 1861.

  • James Murray's Royal Asylum for Lunatics
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thirty-fourth annual report by the directors of James Murray's Royal Asylum for Lunatics, near Perth. June, 1861. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    more so in country cottages, and sympathising with the Jilliculties experienced by relatives or guardians when non-recovered patients are summarily dismissed—the said Directors feel reluctant to cause a risk even of injury to the patient, and hence avoid resorting to Urgent neces- extreme measures. But, inasmuch as longer refraining from such tionafmeans of measures will not only continue for at least three years, but, in all probability, aggravate the evils of overcrowding in this Asylum —as we are convinced that many of our old residenters might be more appropriately located elsewhere—as we have no doubt of the possibility of providing suitable accommodation and suitable cus¬ todiers, as will hereafter be pointed out—and as the inaction of the guardians or relatives of removable non-recovered patients seems to us to arise from supineness mainly;—inasmuch as, more¬ over, all other means have been tried, we are aware of no reasons for further delaying the only remaining step, namely, that the Directors should act on the power they possess, and summarily require the removal, on a given date, of such patients as are con¬ sidered more properly removable, and to such extent as may be necessary from time to time to relieve overcrowding, and to place at disposal the amount of space requisite for the reception of new, acute, urgent cases. In all probability, a large exodus at one time would never be necessary ; but quarterly, it would likely be found advisable or necessary to discharge a varying number—- varying, that is, with the demands for the admission of fresh cases —with the health of our community, the season of the year, the progress of structural alterations on the building, or otherwise. Difficulties In regard to the removal, at our instance, of non-recovered pri- and Probation vate patients, several little difficulties are practically encountered. One might suppose that a recommendation by the physician of an hospital for the insane, as to the transference of a patient to another asylum or to a private house—to travel, or even to go out on parole—grounded on the expression of his opinion that it was for the probable advantage of the said patient, would meet with ready response from friends or relatives. But too frequently the reverse Obstacles on is the case. Feelings of the most unamiable kinds are not seldom part of Relatives i-i-.it i c ,, n - , , . . exhibited. In one class of cases the friends object on the score that publicity would hereby be given to a family infirmity—that the patient would not be permitted to associate with their ac¬ quaintances, and consequently that they, the patient’s friends, would have to choose between associating with ordinary acquain¬ tances, and with the patient—of which they prefer the former
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