Criminal lunatics : a letter to the Chairman of the Commissioners in Lunacy / by W. Charles Hood.

  • Hood, W. Charles (William Charles), 1824-1870.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Criminal lunatics : a letter to the Chairman of the Commissioners in Lunacy / by W. Charles Hood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    be a man of education and refinement brought by the deep affliction of insanity to his present position, or he may be a debased character, a hardened villain, who becomes insane while undergoing the punishment which his crimes have deserved, or he may even be an impostor, feigning insanity, to escape prison discipline. Until lately the provision for each criminal lunatic in Bethlehem was the same : the same accommodation, fare, clothing, and association awaited one and all, the means for classification in the Government wards of the hospital being very imperfect. Recently, however, much has been done to alleviate the hardships of the better classes, by appropriating to their use a consi- derable part of the general building not immediately required for other patients ; but much still remains to be done which cannot be accomplished here. In the State Lunatic Asylum the evils of the present system may be remedied by means of a better classification of the patients, to some extent, in separate establish- ments at a considerable distance from each other, and by providing greater opportunities for occupation and healthy exercise. The insane, or pretended insane, convicts or pri- soners may be dealt with in an asylum, but buildings of more than ordinary strength must be provided for them, and more than ordinary vigilance in their superintend- ence will be indispensable. It is also well known that every impostor amongst them will poison the minds of all with whom he is associated, and if he is sent back to prison will speedily return, followed by others whom he has induced to act with equal duplicity. It is to