Report by the managers of the Royal Edinburgh Lunatic Asylum for the year 1844, presented to the annual general meeting, held on Monday, 27th January, 1845.

  • Royal Edinburgh Asylum.
Date:
[1845?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report by the managers of the Royal Edinburgh Lunatic Asylum for the year 1844, presented to the annual general meeting, held on Monday, 27th January, 1845. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    PHYSICIAN’S REPORT for 1844, Head at the Genei'al Meeting held on the 27th January 1845. During the year 1844 there were admitted into the Institution 162 patients of all ranks ; discharged during the same period 123, of whom were recovered 90, more or less improved 33; and there died 20. The mean number of patients resident du¬ ring the year was 293.78. These returns are more favourable than from the nature of the cases under treatment—embracing so many incurable and so many debilitated—I ventured to anticipate. The recoveries are in the ratio of 30.63 per cent, to the mean number resident, and 55.55 per cent, to the number of admissions; while the deaths are 6.8 per cent, to the former, and 12.34 per cent, to the latter. Were incurables to be excluded, the proportion of recoveries would be very high. An institution placed in the circumstances in wffiich this has been for the last three years, receives even a greater than the usual proportion of unfavour¬ able cases. Besides that number to which all asylums, exer¬ cising no exclusion in regard to the cases admitted, are liable, there are generally transferred to every new County, or similar Asylum, the incurable residue of Workhouses and other oc¬ casional receptacles for the insane. The last of these merged in this asylum has been the City Bedlam ; but it is proper to mention that only a certain number of the patients removed from it are included in the returns of the past year; the trans¬ fer of these patients having taken place gradually, and the largest number falling to be included in the returns of the present year. The event to which I have just alluded is one upon which all who are interested in the condition of the insane poor have reason for congratulation. It is another recognition of the principle that institutions built and organized expressly for the purpose are alone adapted for the cure and treatment of the insane. I avail myself of this opportunity to bear willing tes¬ timony to the kind care bestowed upon the inmates of the Lunatic Department of the City Workhouse by the officers at¬ tached to it. To Dr Smith this acknowledgment is most