The ninth annual report of the committee of visitors of the County Lunatic Asylum at Colney Hatch : January quarter sessions, 1860 / [Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum].

  • London (England). County Lunatic Asylum, Colney Hatch.
Date:
1860
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The ninth annual report of the committee of visitors of the County Lunatic Asylum at Colney Hatch : January quarter sessions, 1860 / [Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    steep), the lower part of which is wet, and defective in drainage. It is unfit for any purpose whatsoever. If fre¬ quented by some Patients, (which is in fact the case), it cannot j)e unattended with danger. We once more repeat the recommendation of our col¬ leagues, (made at former visits), that extensive wralks should be made round the southern portion of the estate; and that these, as well as the whole of the grounds, should be made available to the Patients of all classes. This is not apparently the case now. The Gardens at the back of the Asylum are not open to the Patients, nor very productive, and on enquiry we were surprised to learn that on the evenings they were not accessible even to the Medical Officers. Only a few Patients are employed in these Gardens; as they are very near the Wards, we think that the ground should be given up to the Patients, and that the Gardens should be carried to a greater distance. We are glad to learn that bread has been substituted for dumplings at dinner. We think that the Diet List, which is at present incorrect, should be amended and reconsidered. On Monday, the Dinner is stated to consist of 7 ounces of meat, 4 ounces of dumplings, and 12 ounces of vegetables. Whereas it, in fact, consists of pudding, with¬ out suet or gravy, having some small pieces of meat (2 ounces), placed on the top and baked with it. This dinner is very uninviting. The morsels of meat, (not being imbedded in the pudding) are scorched, and in many instances uneatable; at some of the tables one third or one half of the Patients left the greater part of this dinner, and v