Suggestions for the future provision of criminal lunatics / By W. Charles Hood.

  • Hood, William Charles, Sir, 1824-1870.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Suggestions for the future provision of criminal lunatics / By W. Charles Hood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    /] LORD ST. LEONARD S DECLARATION. 5 had a riglit to expect the administration of the law relating to lunacy in this country would be placed, he would fondly believe, upon a better foundation than existed in any other country in Europe. But, first, it was absolutely necessary that provision should be made for the care and maintenance of Criminal Lunatics. If that were done, he had reason to believe that the expense would be much less than it was generally supposed would be entailed. The country was now at considerable ex- pense in that respect; and one asylum in the North, and one in the South of Eno^land would be suificient. It would (continued the Noble Baron) be particu- larly necessary to meet the case of women afHicted after their confiDement, who, in a state of aberration of mind, committed, he could not call it a crime, but a deed, at which human nature shuddered. As the law now stood, when she ought to be in a hos- pital, and taken the greatest possible care of, she was treated as a criminal to be tried by the laws of her country; and if they were to have such laws, as he hoped they were very near passing, he re- peated that it would be necessary to make provision for women of that description. His Lordship, furthermore, bore his testimony to having witnessed the ill effects of allowing Criminal Lunatics to be associated with other harmless unfortunates of the same description; and added, that those who supposed that persons who had lost their mind