The report of St. Andrew's Hospital for Mental Diseases, at Northampton, for the upper and middle classes, from January 1st, 1924, to December 31st, 1924.

  • Saint Andrew's Hospital for Mental Diseases (Northampton, England)
Date:
[1925]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The report of St. Andrew's Hospital for Mental Diseases, at Northampton, for the upper and middle classes, from January 1st, 1924, to December 31st, 1924. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/72 (page 10)
    To two gentlemen and six ladies I gave private interviews ; their grievances were chiefly on the score of detention, and I am satisfied that for the present they are rightly detained. With one exception the 22 deaths were from natural causes ; the excepted case was that of a lady who threw herself in front of an express train whilst waiting with a nurse at Bletchley Station. An Inquest was held in this case, when the nurse was exonerated from any blame. An Inquest was also held in the case of a lady who died from disease of the heart within a short time of her admission. Seven postmortem examinations were held. There has been no epidemic or zymotic disease during the past winter, and the general health of the Hospital is now good. There have been 4 serious casualties involving fractures of bones—all in the case of ladies—one slipped on icy ground in the town sustaining a Collis’ fracture of the left arm, another fractured her small toe by impulsively jumping out of bed, a third sustained spontaneous fracture of her left femur through malignant disease of the bone, and the remaining case was one of a lady who was pushed down by another patient, and sustained a fracture of the left femur. 'Jliere has been no use of mechanical restraint, but one gentleman and 4 ladies have been secluded on 3 and 20 occasions respectively. The fabric of the Hospital and its dependencies is well maintained, the day-rooms, single rooms, and dormitories are well kept, and present a comfortable and homely appearance. Some re-decoration has been carried out, and some is still in progress, for instance in one of the ladies' villas. The gardens and grounds are looking very tidy and bright with the spring flowers and foliage. The plans for the new Admission Hospital have been approved by my Board, and the work of excavation for the foundations have been begun. I have visited the site and seen the work in progress. 1 understand that the formal laying of the foundation stone will be undertaken by the Lord Lieutenant of the County on the 27th of next month.