Nineteenth annual report of the directors of the Dundee Royal Asylum for Lunatics : submitted in terms of their charter to a general meeting of directors, 17th June 1839.

  • Dundee Royal Asylum for Lunatics.
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Nineteenth annual report of the directors of the Dundee Royal Asylum for Lunatics : submitted in terms of their charter to a general meeting of directors, 17th June 1839. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    from doing injury to himself or others, by being placed—humanely placed—under temporary restraint. Out of the number confined here, averaging daily one hundred and fifty, we have not more than four or five under any kind of confinement, while, before the introduction of labour, the proportion generally was about 25 per cent. There were several patients prematurely removed who were rapidly progressing towards recovery. We could not pronounce them well at the period of discharge, although they became well a few weeks afterwards. We mention this merely to explain why our number of cures is not greater than it is. Deaths.—We do not discharge dying patients. If we had refused to receive those who were likely to expire, and who did die shortly after admission, our number, low as it is, would have been materially diminished ; but this we cannot do, and the conse¬ quence is, that the number of deaths is eleven this year, or about 6 per cent, (our total treated being one hundred and ninety-seven), while the number last year was only eight, or about 5 per cent. Nine of the casualties were old cases, some of very long standing. One of them refused all food, and was kept alive for six weeks by wine and beef-tea, &c., being forced down his throat. Here, as in many other cases, the stomach-pump was wholly inadmissible. Another was a poor creature, who, like many of the insane, was very scrofulous. By being well supported under the great dis¬ charges of matter from his abscesses, he lived lor a considerable time. A third had been addicted to the greatest debauchery: He was idiotic for many months before dissolution, exhibiting nothing but the propensity to destroy with his teeth or extremities every¬ thing near him; and disgustingly filthy. One of the females was in a dying state when she was received, and died four days afttr admission. Pat. Nimmo, M.D., Physician to the Asylum. A. Mackintosh, Surgeon,—Superintendent.