Fourth annual report of the Committee of Visitors of the Surrey County Lunatic Asylum at Brookwood, to be presented to the Court of Quarter Session, held at Reigate, on the 4th day of April, 1871.

  • Surrey County Lunatic Asylum (Brookwood)
Date:
[1871?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Fourth annual report of the Committee of Visitors of the Surrey County Lunatic Asylum at Brookwood, to be presented to the Court of Quarter Session, held at Reigate, on the 4th day of April, 1871. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    I j j tic fit and been smothered in her pillow, a verdict to which 1 effect was returned. I Owing to the number of patients afflicted with epilepsy, ] their proper visitation during the night is a source of much i anxiety to the officers. Death from suffocation during a fit i is very rare; nevertheless, in order to diminish the risk as J far as possible, all those who are liable to the attacks are J accommodated in sleeping rooms adjacent to each other, so as ! to facilitate their more effective supervision by the Night J Attendants, who are now required to visit them every hour, i viz., once during the regular round which takes place every i two hours, and a special visit in the interval. A vigilant ? patient also sleeps in each room, to afford assistance by rous- i ing the Day Attendant in the adjoining room; and all the i dormitories so occupied by this class are being fitted up with } gas jets over and outside the door, to be kept alight through- i out the night, and thus facilitate a more effectual inspection. There were 86 epileptics and 55 general paralytics re- ij maining in the Asylum on December 31st, a total of 141, 13 being in the proportion of 1 in every patients, which is ;( somewhat greater than that of the preceding year. I Since the opening of the Institution in June, 1867, no j case of suicide has occurred. Notwithstanding all the care 3 and vigilance that may be exercised, instances of successful ! attempts will occasionally happen. At the present time 1 there are several oases in either division, who from having i this propensity strongly developed require incessant watching: