Twenty-eighth annual report of the Glamorgan County Lunatic Asylum, for the year 1892.

  • Glamorgan County Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Twenty-eighth annual report of the Glamorgan County Lunatic Asylum, for the year 1892. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    13/52 (page 13)
    ANNUAL REPORT OF T>HE Medical Superintendent. Gentlemen, I have the honour of submitting to you my report for the year just finished, and of laying before you the usual table oi Statistics. The Admissions of the year have again been numerous, amounting to 147 Males and 131 Females, or a total of 278. As compared with the previous year the Males show a decrease of 38, and the Females an increase of 8. Although we have so many more Males admitted than Females the nett result at the end of a year generally shows almost an equality of the sexes, owing to the greater mortality amoagst the former than the latter. The quality of the Admissions as regards prospect of recovery has been very bad»a much too large proportion consisting of cases of long standing, only 75 out of 278 having a duration under three months, and a history of several years duration was obtained in a great many of the cases. Insanity is often such an insidious disease that the relatives frequently fail to recognise the nature of the malady until it has become confirmed and hopeless. They are apt to set down the change of disposition, character and conduct to wickedness and not to disease, more especially as the sufferer may be all the time in a fair condition of bodily health, and able to carry on his or her occupation as formerly. The patient has thus not infrequently to submit to bitter reproaches and even actual cruelty before it begins to dawn upon the friends that they are acting unjustly. It can hardly be too often repeated that early treatment is of the most vital importance in insanity, and that the chance of recovery is lessened by every week of delay. As regards the causes of illness in the Admissions, 54, or one-filth were ascribed directly or indirectly to alcoholic in- temperance, whilst in 147 or more than one-half a history of hereditary predisposition or of previous attacks was obtained.