Thirty-first annual report of the resident physician of the Belfast District Hospital for the Insane Poor of the counties of Antrim and Down, and the county of the town of Carrickfergus : from 1st April, 1860, to the 31st March, 1861.

  • Belfast District Hospital for the Insane.
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thirty-first annual report of the resident physician of the Belfast District Hospital for the Insane Poor of the counties of Antrim and Down, and the county of the town of Carrickfergus : from 1st April, 1860, to the 31st March, 1861. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    {From the Daily “ Northern Whig ” of March 8, 1862,] Belfast District Lunatic asylum.—Dr. Nugent, Inspector of Lunatic Asylums, yesterday, visited this establishment, and the following is a copy of the report he wrote on the occasion in the visitors’ book “I, this day, inspected the Belfast District Asylum. It contains 869 patients—199 from the County Antrim (of whom 116 belong to Belfast), 162 from the County Down—or, pro portionably to Belfast in regard to their different popula tion, as 1 to 2—and 8 from Carrickfergus. Upwards of 70 of the inmates I was gratified to see going to a public place of amusement—the Hippodrome—under the care of their attendants. The patients, generally, throughout the house, were well clad, and had the appearance of being carefully looked after. From the very few confined to bed —six in all—I cannot but regard the sanitary state of the house as very satisfactory. The associated dormitories are overcrowded, but orderly, cleanly, and well ventilated; the bedding good. I am glad to notice the progressive increase of hair mattresses in place of cocoa fibre or straw. The day-rooms are very comfortable. I feel I can report most favourably of this district asylum.” Visit of Insane Patients to the Circus.—Yesterday afternoon, between seventy and eighty of the inmates —male and female—of the Belfast District Asylum for the Insane were taken by Dr. Stewart, the Resident Physician of the institution, to see the performances at Bell’s Circus. The experiment was most successful and gratifying. The conduct of the entire party, both on going to, and coming from, the Circus, was of the most correct and orderly nature, while their behaviour during the performances was such that strangers were unable to distinguish them from the other visitants of the Circus. On the termina¬ tion of the entertainment, which lasted two hours, the male patients were drawn up in military array, and, on receiving the word of command, marched off with their attendants in the steadiest and most soldier-like manner. The females also returned to the Asylum most quietly, and great, indeed, was the delight of all at the sights they witnessed. The day will no doubt be an epoch in their monotonous lives. Mr. Bell deserves great credit for his liberal and considerate invitation, and the patients will, without fail, long remember his kindness.