Twenty-first annual report of the county and city of Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

  • Worcester Pauper Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1874
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

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    “ Every part of the building was yesterday visited by us, and “ many of the wards were again inspected to-day, also the work- u shops and Chapel. We found many of the corridors and day rooms “ bright with Christmas decorations, and nowhere any want of good u order. Painting of the walls is in progress, especially in Ho. 5 Male “ Ward, hut arrangements have been made which prevent any incon- <l venience to the patients. In Ho. 5 Female Ward we noticed the “ absence of under-blankets on several beds, but elsewhere the bedding I ‘ was quite sufficient. Yentilation was perfect throughout the building, u if we except Ho. 7, which was occupied by ten men in bed, but on our “ second visit to that ward it was also free from offensive smell. The “ beds here appear to be too crowded: less crowding of beds in many “ dormitories would be an improvement. “ Yesterday we were present when dinner was served to the women u in various wards, and to-day we attended at the dinner-hour in the “ male wards. The food put upon the table for the female patients “ yesterday was Australian meat, with rice ; to-day the men had potato “ and meat pie. The conduct of the patients was as orderly at this u meal as during the rest of our visit, and all seemed satisfied, though u next to nothing was left when dinner was over. In answer to our u enquiry in regard to dietary, we find that it is as good as it was when ‘1 the Asylum was visited in March last, and that Canadian pork is now u on trial once a week. According to our experience there can be no “ question that any reduction of dietary would be attended with very “ mischievous consequences. A large proportion of the persons admitted u here arrive in a state of great physical prostration ; their bodily health II has to be built up, as it were ; and then, to ameliorate their mental il condition, a good diet must be maintained. “ The bathing arrangements have been improved, but only to this u extent. By bathing on two days in the -week all the male patient u have clean water. In the female division there is but one bathing ‘1 day, and at least two patients use the same water. The baths are so f £ few in the female division, and the bath rooms there are so small, that “ some remedy for the existing defects is urgently called for. We “ believe that a general bath room for the men and another for the u women would be valuable additions to this Asylum. The water closets “ in both divisions, now' so few, might then be multiplied by conversion i( in some wards of the single bath rooms. “ We remark that, to meet the contingency of an outbreak of fire “ in this building, there is no system of hydrants, but the hoses, upon u which reliance is placed, receive, we are told, constant attention. << Since Lady-day last our colleagues’ recommendation of purchase “ by the Committee, of fat stock for slaughter on the premises, has been s< adopted with satisfactory results.