Fourteenth annual report of the resident physician, &c., of the Belfast District Asylum for the insane poor of the counties of Antrim, Down, and county of the town of Carrickfergus : for the year ending 31st of March, 1844.

  • Belfast District Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Fourteenth annual report of the resident physician, &c., of the Belfast District Asylum for the insane poor of the counties of Antrim, Down, and county of the town of Carrickfergus : for the year ending 31st of March, 1844. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    TABLE VIII-AGES. Ages of the 68 patients discharged recovered, during the year :— From 10 to 20 years, Males. 4 Females. 3 Total. 7 From 20 to 30 do., 11 6 17 From 30 to 40 do., 9 3 12 From 40 to 50 do., 14 9 23 From 50 to 60 do., 3 4 7 From 60 to 70 do., 1 ] 2 42 26 99 __ _ 68 CASES RECEIVED AS “ DANGEROUS LUNATICS,” UNDER 1 VICTORIA. The cases admitted from the gaols of the district, during the year, as “ dangerous lunatics,” under the provisions of the Act 1 Victoria, chapter 27, amounted to fourteen—ten males and four females—which are included in the year’s new admissions. “ CRIMINAL LUNATICS.” One case only coming under the above legal denomination was placed in the Asylum during the past year, viz.,—that of a young man transmitted to it, in August last, from County D own Gaol, who had been tried the previous Summer Assizes, on a charge of assault, and threatening to take the life of an immediate member of his own family, hut acquitted thereof, on the ground of insanity. Since his inmateship, however, com¬ menced, no symptom, whatever, of unsoundness of mind has manifested itself ; on the contrary, his habits and general conduct have been perfectly rational, in consequence of which, as well as owing to the extremely crowded state of the Institution, on the male side, and so many cases (of an acute nature) waiting for admission, but unable to be accommodated, for want of room, an application was duly made to the Lord Lieutenant, for his discharge ; but such not having been granted, he, as a matter of course, remains in the Asylum. There are now, altogether, on the books, eight cases of “ criminal lunatics,” viz.,—three males and five females, all of whom, with the above exception, have been in confinement in the establish¬ ment, for periods varying from four to nine years ; and the ma¬ jority of whom are, and have been throughout, apparently sound in mind. Five of the eight, viz.,—one male and four females, committed homicidal acts ; the remaining three, viz.,—two males