Report on lunatic asylums / by Fredc. Norton Manning.
- Manning, Frederick Norton, 1839-1903.
- Date:
- 1868
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report on lunatic asylums / by Fredc. Norton Manning. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.
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![The arguments Avliieli arc used by those who consider separation justifiable— arguments entitled to attentive consideration, siuce they are used by men who, though a mhiority in point of number, occupy a prominent position among those who have atten- tively considered the requirements of the insane,—are based rather upon considerations of expediency than upon the absolute right or wrong of the question. These arguments are— 1st.—That the structural adaptations and the general organization of an ordinaiy asylum are unnecessary for a large number of the more chronic cases, and that they can be provided for, more economically in an asylum of simple construction, with a smaller pro])ortionate staff of officers and attendants than are employed in ordinary asylums. 2nd.—Tliat by separating the very chronic cases, greater opportunities are afibrded for the pi-oper treatment of the more curable, especially in the now crowded condition of the asylums of almost all countries. 3rd.—That provision in asylums, even with an incomplete organization, is pre- ferable to such provision as is generally afibrded in workhouse. It is jKuuted out also that, as a rule, the ])aticnts feel little depression or «les]>aii' when removed to asylums for chronit* cases, and that not unfrecpiently the older patients, instead of acting beneficially on the new comers, stand to them in somewhat the position of Job's comforters, and are eloquent on the injustice of their ovm detention, and upon the miseries Avhich are likely to befall their new acquaintances. Among those who favour the general scheme of separating the acute and chronic ciises. few are found to recommend their absolute division into two distinct classes. Even Dr. Arlidge, one of the most prominent supporters of the idea of the two classes of asylums, does not contemplate the existence of a primary asylum without the presence of more or fewer chronic cases retained in it for the best medical or moral reasons, or a secondary asylum exclusively the abode of incurables. And, upon the whole, it must be con- sidered that the balance of argument is strongly in favour of one asylum, to contain both classes in such proportion as they occur in each district. Size op Lunatic Asylums. In Great Britain the size of asylums varies immensely. In the City of Norwich, and the Caermarthen, Haddington, and Elgin Asylums, the number of patients is under 100, whilst the large asylums for the County of Middlesex—Ilanwell and Colney Hatch contain, respectively, 1,693 and 2,026 patients. The Lancashire Asylums are large also. The one at Lancaster contains 836, and the one at Prestwich 962 patients. The Asylum for the AVest Eiding of Yorkshire contains 1,121, and the Old Surrey Asylum'914 patients. But by far the large majority of English asylums contain between 400 and 600 patients. The ncAv institutions for the counties of Surrey, Staftbrd and Cheshire? have been planned to contain 500 patients each ; and the new Scotch District Asylums- for Perth and Cupar 250 only. In America the State Asylums, almost without exception were built to contain originally 250 patients; but all those in the Eastern States have gradually been added to till the numbers range between 400 and GOO,—only one institution, the New York State Asylum, containing over that number. On the Continent, many of the older institutions have grown gradually to a large size The asylum at St. Yon, near Eonen, contains 900 patients ; and the older laris asylums of Salpetriere and Bicetre considerably over that number.* But for the new institutions on the Continent, wherever placed, the maximum number is fixed at 600 ; and in many cases a much smaller size is preferred. * The average population of the Departmental Asjlums of France was, in 1860, 402.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21292450_0037.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
