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

  • Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1872
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

    10/74 (page 10)
    In the two excepted cases referred to, inquests were held. “ The first was a suicide, ot which all the circumstances were at the time considered by our Board. The last was a very recent case of a man suffering from general paralysis, and other very grave bodily diseases ; in whom, though no fractures had been reported at his examination on admission seven months ago, ‘‘ several fractured ribs were discovered, some very [shortly before and some after death ; the verdict at the inquest held last “ Tuesday being, that the man-had died from natural causes. Into the circumstances of this case we made much minute inquiry, examining the medical officers, and all the principal “ attendants, male and female, of the several wards he was in from admission until death; but, beyond the fact that the fractures could not have been of recent occurrence, and were not the cause of death, we failed to arrive at any definite con- elusion as to how or when they were occasioned. In connection with our enquiries in this matter, however, and our observations as we passed through the Wards, we ‘‘ desire at once to express an opinion that the staff of day attendants in No. 4 Male Hospital, and 5 Kefractory Male “ Ward, is at present inadequate. In the former, containing 45 patients (of whom 17 were yesterday in bed), there are only ‘‘ two permanent attendants, a man and his wife, assisted at ‘‘ meal times and mornings and evenings by two out-door attendants, who take the charge on the ‘ Sundays out ’ or other holidays of the man and wife ; and there is a similar arrangement in the Refractory Ward 5, containing 48 inmates, “ where the man and wife on duty have frequent help from an “ assistant attendant, a second assistant being present at meals “ and morning and evening. We think, however, that the Hos- “ pital should never be left during the day with less than three attendants, a fourth being necessary at meal times ; while, “ with 48 inmates, the Refractory Ward should never be without “ four attendants ; and to effect this, there should be two addi- ‘‘ tional assistant attendants to superintend and help in out-door work. There should also be such arrangement in No. 1 Male “ Ward, with its 53 working patients and two attendants, as “ would prevent its ever being left for however short a time (as now occasionally, when one of the attendants has his Sunday “ out, and the other, left solely in charge, has to fetch food from “ the Kitchen), without any attendant at all. Generally on the “ female side the staff appears to be sufficient; but, in the “ Infirmary, where there are four nurses to 57 patients, of whom “ 18 are bedridden, a fifth nurse would be desirable. And, “ referring to the suggestion of our colleagues for appointment of ‘‘ other permanent night attendants in each division, we cannot