The report of the Visiting Committee of the Mental Hospital for the City and County of Bristol, together with the reports of the visiting commissioners of the Board of Control, the medical superintendent and the chaplain, and the abstract of account / Bristol Lunatic Asylum.

  • Bristol Mental Hospital.
Date:
1931
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The report of the Visiting Committee of the Mental Hospital for the City and County of Bristol, together with the reports of the visiting commissioners of the Board of Control, the medical superintendent and the chaplain, and the abstract of account / Bristol Lunatic Asylum. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    There has been no enteric fever, but 5 cases of dysentery were reported during the year. Active measures have been taken to cope with this disease, and at present there is but one case and that convalescent. Seven casualties involving fractures of bones occurred since the last visit, and in every case the injury was purefy accidental. The laboratory, under the supervision of Dr. Taylor, Pathologist at the General Hospital, continues its useful work, and the medical staff with a trained laboratory assistant undertake all Wassermann reactions and also the vaccine therapy for dysentery. Several patients are now under¬ going malarial treatment for general paralysis. We are glad to hear that occupation therapy is being introduced, and a nurse has been attending classes in the city. We hope that this valuable treatment will be extended, so that even the wards in which are the least hopeful patients will in time have their occupation classes. The number of sedatives given at night is few considering the size of the Hospital, and we note this as possibly related to the fact already mentioned that the wards were unusually quiet and orderly. The Medical Staff remains at the same strength, and we hope in the near future it will be possible to appoint an additional assistant Medical Officer. We understand that at present there are no avedlable quarters for such an additional doctor, and consequently the general position of the accommodation of the medical staff might, and with advantage, have to be considered. We hesitate to make further recommendations involving expenditure, but we cannot help feeling that the Medical Superintendent should have a house separate from the main building, and that there should be at least one set of married quarters for an assistant Medical Officer. In any case, the expanding demands of medical science, the increase in the number of patients, and the prospect of new and very desirable developments, such as an out¬ patients’ clinic, renders it important that the medical staff should be strengthened. We were much pleased with our visit. HERBERT C. BAILEY. BEDFORD PIERCE. i Commissioners of the Board J of Control.