Fourth annual report of the county and city of Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

  • Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Fourth annual report of the county and city of Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    humane person must be grateful. The relapses of many cases are to he ascribed to this cause, especially of those having families or others depending for support upon their exertions. The admissions of the year are less by 21 than those of the preceding period, hut the numbers under treatment are nearly equal in each case, from the progressive increase in the average numbers resident consequent upon a considerably diminished mortality, and also from the chronic character of the cases admitted affording but a reduced per centage in the recoveries. Two men were re-admitted during the year: one, the Patient already mentioned as having escaped; the other suffered from mania with incipient disease of the brain and nervous centres, which for a time seemed arrested in its progress, hut soon after his discharge re-appeared. Cases of general paralysis, when seen very early, are occasionally thought to have recovered, and for a time the disease may remain in a quiescent form; but it generally, if not always, recurs, and with gradually increasing frequency and severity of attacks of mental excitement and of paralysis of a progressive character, ultimately exhausts the Patient. 41 of the admissions were cases of first attacks; 18 had suffered once previously; 4 had been twice, 2 thrice ill; 12 had several attacks; and in 3 cases their insanity was the result of congenital malformation. 14 of those admitted varied in age from 60 to 80; only one recovery occurred out of this number. They, for the most part, were the subjects of organic disease of the brain, lungs, and heart, or suffered from long-continued mental disease, or from the superannuation of old age and deficient nutritution of the brain and nervous centres. Four of them died during the year. In 8 cases their insanity was complicated with paralysis, in 7 with epilepsy, in 22 their mental disease was stated to he of above one years duration at the time of admission; 22 Patients were in good general health and