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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    ( « ) he invariably referred to building in juxta-position with the present Institution. If they had a separate Asylum for chronic cases, they might have to send a patient five, six, or seven miles from one to another. He was strongly in favour of a separate Asylum ior each county, and there could be a room in each for chronic cases. (Hear.) Hi. M Gormac said he had great opportunities of watching lunatic cases, and that there could be no doubt as to the neces¬ sity for increased accommodation. He agreed with Hr. Nugent in his statement that the accommodation to be provided should be similar to that which was now afforded by the Belfast Asylum. He thought an increase in the recovery patients might, if they had the necessary increased accommodation, be anticipated, when moral treatment would be brought more ex¬ tensively into operation. They might ask him why was that not done now 1 His answer to that was, that the treatment of the insane was a progressive thing. He conceived that if they isolated the chronic cases, the moral treatment would be in a great measure interfered with, and the prospective improvement in the treatment of the insane would not be realised to the ex¬ tent which he anticipated. The cures he stated in recent cases were 70 per cent. The Lord Bishop said it was desirable to know what really were the views of the meeting on the subject. (Hear, hear.) Sir B. Batesoh suggested that the meeting should adjourn until some day before the next Assizes. Colonel Fforde said that the gentlemen of the County Hown were in the position of not being able to act in the matter until they would communicate with the next Grand Jury at the Assizes. The Lord Bishop said, if his motion embarrassed them he would withdraw it at once. Colonel Fforde said it was unnecessary to withdraw the resolution, as he intended moving an amendment. Mr. Macrory said he was delighted to see their friends of the County Hown present to discuss that question, because after all it would result in the point as to what was best to be done for the two counties. (Hear.) They were most anxious to carry out a certain system, and one of the primary objects of that system was