Chapters in the History of the Insane in the British IslesTuke, Daniel Hack
History
Chapters in the History of the Insane in the British Isles
Tuke, Daniel Hack
Mental health laws -- Great Britain; Mental illness -- Great Britain; Mentally ill -- Care; Psychiatric hospitals -- Great Britain
In regard to the location of pauper lunatics in private dwellings, it
appears that while in England 6799, or 9.29 per cent., of their number
live with their relatives or are boarded in private dwellings, nearly
fifteen per cent. of insane paupers in Scotland are in private
dwellings, inspected by the Lunacy Board.
Dr. Lockhart Robertson has expressed the opinion that "the utmost limits
within which the county asylum can benefit, or is needed for the
treatment of the insane poor, is fifty per cent. of their number, and
that a further accumulation of lunatics there serve no practical
purpose, and hence is an unjustifiable waste of public money."[209]
After pointing out the success of the metropolitan district asylums at
Leavesden and Caterham, where upwards of four thousand chronic lunatics
are maintained at the rate of seven shillings a week, he expresses his
opinion that, if these arrangements were properly carried out, another
fourteen per cent., or forty per cent. of the incurable and harmless
pauper lunatics and idiots, might be placed in workhouses; his ideal
standard for the distribution of pauper lunatics being--in county
asylums, fifty per cent.; in workhouse wards, forty per cent.; leaving
ten per cent. for care in private dwellings.
The number of beds in county and borough asylums amounts to 40,000,
varying from 2000 to 250; the average cost per bed having been somewhat
under £200, and the weekly maintenance and clothing of each patient 9s.
9¼d. If to this be added the interest on the cost of construction and
asylum repair, the annual cost for each pauper lunatic in county asylums
amounts to about £40.
The number of patients discharged cured, in county and borough asylums
during the ten years 1871-1880, was 40.32 per cent. on the admissions,
and the mortality 10.46 on the mean number resident.
The number of beds in registered lunatic hospitals (about 3000) ranges
from 60 to 570, or, excluding idiot asylums, to 300, while the average
weekly cost ranges from 14s. to £2 2s. The charges on the buildings are
not included. For these Dr. Robertson adds five shillings a week, making
the average weekly cost of maintenance £1 10s. or, including asylum
construction and repairs, £1 15s.
The distribution of private patients, numbering 7741, was as follows on
the 1st of January, 1881:--In registered hospitals, 2800, or 36.17 per
cent.; in county asylums, 539, or 6.96 per cent.; in State asylums, 534,
or 6.88 per cent.; in private asylums, 3420, or 44.17 per cent.; in
private dwellings, 448, or 5.78 per cent.
The registered hospitals have, therefore, thirty-six per cent. of all
the private patients, an important fact in looking to the future
provision for this class in lieu of private asylums. Their statistics of
recovery and mortality are satisfactory. The recoveries per cent.
calculated on the admissions were 46.48 per cent. during the ten years
1871-1880; the annual mortality being 7.96 per cent.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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