Dr. Guy on insanity & crime, and on the plea of insanity in criminal cases.

  • Guy, William A. (William Augustus), 1810-1885.
Date:
1869
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. Guy on insanity & crime, and on the plea of insanity in criminal cases. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Table IV. By the census, and by acquittals 1 on the ground of insanity J Add insane certified in the three 1 years 1859-61 J Total Males. Females. Males and i'euiales. Insane. Sane. Insane. Sane. Insane. Sane. 259 89 5,709 37 11 1,189 296 TOO 6,898 348 5,709 48 1,189 396 6,898 By these additions to the figures of the census, the ratio of insane male convicts is raised from 41 to 61 per 1,000; of insane female convicts from 24 to 40 per 1,000 ; and of the two sexes taken together to 57 per 1,000 ; and these figures may he taken to represent the extreme ratio of insane to sane among the worst class of English criminals. I beheve that they are greatly in excess of the truth ; but I am unable to say by how much they go beyond it. h. Insanity among Criminals compared with Insanity among other Classes of Society.—As we possess some data by which to estimate the ratio of sane to insane persons in the general population, and also among the class of paupers, I shall treat this division of my subject under the two heads thus suggested. The ratio of insane to sane among the population of England may be ascertained with some approach to accuracy by combining the data furnished by the Commissioners in Lunacy, the Poor Law Board, and the census of convict prisons.* In order to make this estimate as complete as our necessary ignorance of the number of insane persons among the general population who are not brought under the cognizance of any public body will allow, we ought to add an unascertained number of insane criminals at all times to bo found in the county and borough gaols. Now, if we take the ascertained population of these gaols in 1861 as our guide, wo may estimate their inmates at this date at 20,000, which number at the low rate of i per cent, will yield 200 insane persons to be added to the general muster-roll of the same class in England. The number of insane persons in England and Wales for 1867 may therefore be stated approximatively as follows :■—• * 1. “ Twenty-second Keport of the Coininissioners in Lunacy for 1867,” publislicd June, 1868; 2. “Twentieth Annual Keport of the Poor Law Hoard, “18(i7-68;” 3. “Census of tlie Population of the Convict Prisons in England,” previously cited.