A report on the recent progress of psychological medicine and mental pathology / by C. Lockhart Robertson.

Date:
1848
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A report on the recent progress of psychological medicine and mental pathology / by C. Lockhart Robertson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    § II.—On the Present State of Lunacy, and of Lunatic Asylum. In an official document lately presented to both Houses of Parliament, by command of her Majesty, entitled ‘ Further Report of the Commissioners in Lunacy to the Lord Chancellor,' much valuable information regarding the condition, &c., of the insane is to be found. Indeed, the whole Report reflects the highest credit on the present Lunacy Commission. We proceed to make some extracts from the second part of that Report on the present state of lunacy and of lunatic asylums. 9. Number of Insane Persons in England and Wales.—“There are in Eng- land and Wales alone, according even to the returns, more than 23,000 persons of unsound mind. These returns, however, are notoriously imperfect, falling far short of the actual amount; and they do not, moreover, embrace the whole of a numerous class who are termed imbecile persons, having been so from birth, or become so from senility.” 10. Proportion of Higher and Middle Classes, and of Paupers.—“ Of the 23,000 persons before referred to, nearly 5000 belong to the higher and middle classes of society, and about 18,800 are paupers.” About 15,000 of these are confined in the various hospitals, county asylums, and licensed houses; the others being in poor-law unions, or in private houses. 11. Aggregate Number of Insane, and Persons engaged in their care.— “ The aggregate number of the insane and imbecile, together with their va- rious committees, visitors, medical officers, attendants, and servants, cannot be fairly estimated at less than 30,000 persons.”* 12. Estimate of Annual Amount expended in the Maintenance, Ofc., of Lunatics.—“On a rough estimate.it maybe stated that the aggregate amount of money expended every year, for the maintenance of lunatic patients, or administered on their behalf, exceeds £750,000. To this amount must be added the expense of maintaining many families cast upon the parish by the parent's insanity, the expense of supporting many persons termed imbecile, and the interest of the large sums invested in the public lunatic establishments (some of which are paying interest on borrowed money)—which, together, will raise the expenditure to little less than one million annually. The question of lunacy, therefore, is manifestly one of considerable extent, and, independently of its bearing upon the general liberty and welfare of the subject, of great public importance. 13. Control and Jurisdiction exercised over the Question.—“ The expense incurred on behalf of pauper lunatics is intrusted to the justices of counties and parish authorities; the due application of the private property of the insane is subject to the especial jurisdiction of the Lord Chancellor. “On the other hand, to ascertain that the patient is duly confined; that he has medical aid, fit attendance, and proper comforts during his confinement; • According to a late report on the District Local and Private Lunatic Asylums in Ireland (p. 72), the total number of insane persons in that country (including wandering idiots and epileptics), amounts to 12,397; and the number of lunatic poor in Scotland, according to a late return, is3413. Add to these the private patients in each country, and the various medical and other officers, attendants, Sic., and the result will be that, exclusive of the families of lunatics, the total number in Great Britain and Ireland, who are directly or indirectly iuvolved in the subject of lunacy, will be little short of fifty thousand persons.