Return to an address of the Honourable the House of Commons, dated 9 December 1852;-for, zCopies of all reports of the Commissioners in Lunacy, and the evidence presented by them last year to the Home Office as to the state and management of Bethlehem Hospital, and of all correspondence thereon:y zAnd, of the observations of the Governors of Bethlehem Hospital upon the report of the Commissioners in Lunacy to the Secretary of Statey.

  • Great Britain. Commissioners in Lunacy.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Return to an address of the Honourable the House of Commons, dated 9 December 1852;-for, zCopies of all reports of the Commissioners in Lunacy, and the evidence presented by them last year to the Home Office as to the state and management of Bethlehem Hospital, and of all correspondence thereon:y zAnd, of the observations of the Governors of Bethlehem Hospital upon the report of the Commissioners in Lunacy to the Secretary of Statey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    17 July 1851. 150 Minutes of Evidence taken before the 1891. How long did you wait?—A little while; I suppose while she had her clothes put on. 1892. Not very long ?—No. 1893. Was she clean when she came to you?—She was not w'hat she used to be; she had got a shawl on, but her hair was very bad indeed ; her hair was almost all cut off, and they had taken her combs and brushes away. 1894. Do you think her clothes were put on for the purpose of her being brought up and shown to you ?—She said they were put on for the occasion. 1895. Did she say that in the presence of the nurse?—She must have heard it; she spoke very loud. 1896. Was any reason given to you, why she was placed in the basement ward ?—Not any. 1897. Do you know why she was placed in the basement ward ? —I do not; she was not long in the hospital before she was taken down there. 1898. When you saw her at this visit, was she tolerably rational; could she talk on any subject ?—At times she did, and then she wan- dered again. 1899. When you say she was out of her mind, describe to the Commissioners in what way. Had she delusions about any particular thing, or in what way was she out of her mind before she went to the hospital ?—Oh, dear, she was violent, and fancied there were different things in the house. 1900. What sort of things?—She fancied somebody was kept up stairs that we would not let her see, and she fancied she was going- out of the country. 1901. How long did you remain with your daughter, on your first visit ?—I think about an hour. 1902. And then you left her?—Then I left her. 1903. How soon after that did you see her again?—I cannot say whether I went the next fortnight, or if it was a month after that, because there were other relations who went to see her. 1904. Was the next time you went within a month?—It might have been. 1905. In what condition was she then?—She appeared very much the same ; she wanted to come home very bad. 1906. Was her mind better?—I think her mind was. 1907. It was better on your second visit than on the first ?—Yes. 1908. Was her bodily condition just the same?—Much about the same. 1909. Did you see the matron at either visit ?—1 never did. 1910. Did you see Dr. Wood, on the second visit?—Yes, I asked him what he thought of her, and he said she was going on pretty well. 1911. Did she complain of ill treatment on your second visit?— Indeed she did, every time; we thought it was a delusion. 1012. Did she show you any marks or bruises on your second visit ?— She said that one of them had pulled her by the hair of her head ; that she had been awake all night, and she had overslept her- self a little ; and when the nurse came in, she took hold of her by the hair