Observations on the admission of medical pupils to the wards of Bethlem Hospital, for the purpose of studying mental diseases / by John Webster.

Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the admission of medical pupils to the wards of Bethlem Hospital, for the purpose of studying mental diseases / by John Webster. 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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    enjoy a most beautiful prospect of the adjacent country; but as Government have voted 3,500,000 francs to rebuild this institution, some of the present defects will be likely corrected. Yet 1 must confess, that much judgment has not been shown in the works already j commenced ; and there has been a lavish expenditure in consequence of the buildings being placed on the brow of a hill, instead of on the level ground behind; indeed, 1 much doubt if the accommodation for the lunatics will be at all commensurate with the very large sum of money, which must be expended in com pleting the institution. Esquirol, who possessed a very high repu- tation throughout Europe, from his writings on insanity, was formerly physician to this establishment. His successor, M. Foville, is equally well known to the medical profession and to science; and if the administration had availed themselves of the knowledge and experience of both these eminent physicians in raising up the new. constructions, the Maison Royale would have become a model for other institutions of a similar character. As Charenton is intended for the reception of patients be- longing to the better classes of society, who pay for their sup- port, it is not adapted for a school for the instruction of medical pupils on mental diseases. The public have no claim on such es- tablishments, but insane hospitals like Bethlem, Bieetre, and others receiving gratuitous patients, ought to pay back to society some price for the great benefits their inmates receive, so that the community at large may derive some adequate advantages in return. For these reasons I refrain from speaking of the different visits I made to Charenton along with M. Foville, who not only kindiy took me there, whilst making his professional inspection, but likewise pointed out the most interesting patients to my notice, and after- wards accompanied me over every part of the institution. To that gentleman I have to offer my best thanks for his politeness, not only on these, but on other occasions, and particularly for the opportunity he was so very obliging as to afford me of being present at a demonstration of the brain, when he personally explained with much minuteness, his original views regarding the anatomy and physiology of that organ and the nervous system. Although I have said little respecting Charenton, it may be useful to give a short summary of the changes among the patients, which took place there in 1811. During that year, 104 insane men and 76 women, being a total of 180, were admitted ; the number of patients dis- charged entirely cured, were 26 women and 15 men, besides 16 males and 11 women, who left the institution more or less improved. The incurable patients discharged amounted to 36, or 23 men and 13 women. The total deaths during the same period being 40 male patients and 23 females, amongst nearly 500 insane patients, la- bouring under every form of disease. In order to give some idea of the medical attendance which insane patients receive in the public hospitals of Paris, it may be interesting to state, that each physician visits all his patients at