[Report received from the Honorable Josiah Quincy, jr., Honorable Alfred Hitchcock ... and Horatio R. Storer ... commissioners appointed under the 91st chapter of the resolves of 1863, to make certain investigations of the subject of insanity, and the disposition of persons alleged to be insane.

  • Massachusetts. Commission on Lunacy.
Date:
1864]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report received from the Honorable Josiah Quincy, jr., Honorable Alfred Hitchcock ... and Horatio R. Storer ... commissioners appointed under the 91st chapter of the resolves of 1863, to make certain investigations of the subject of insanity, and the disposition of persons alleged to be insane. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    To His Excellency John A. Andrew : A Commission was appointed by your Excellency, under a joint Resolve, (Chapter 91, 18G3,) on the petition of Samuel E. Sewall and others, to examine what changes, if any, are necessary, in the laws regarding insane persons, with power to visit all the lunatic hospitals and asylums and private estab- lishments for the reception of insane patients; to examine the cases of any patients confined in such hospital, asylum, or other place ; to summon before them and examine, under oath or otherwise, any witnesses, and report at the next session of the legislature : provided, however, that no charge or expense is incurred by the Commonwealth under this resolve. This Commission now ask leave to report: All the lunatic asylums, public and private, and many of the State and town poor houses in the Commonwealth, as well as the hospitals in Toronto, Quebec, Concord, N. H., Augusta, Me., Kalamazoo, Mich., Indianapolis, Ind., Cincinnati, Ohio, Binghamton and Utica, N. Y., and Providence, R. I., for the purposes of com- parison, have been visited by the Commission, or by one or more of its members. The various State institutions, and other places for the custody of the insane, were visited without notice to their officers. The members of the Commission would bear testimony to the efficiency of the several super- intendents of the public asylums, to the neatness of the build- ings, and to the kind attention that appears to be bestowed on the unfortunate inmates of these establishments. It is also their duty to call the attention of the legislature to certain defects which admit of remedy. ARE PATIENTS WRONGFULLY DETAINED IN INSANE ASYLUMS ? Insanity, like all other diseases, and perhaps more than any other, is relieved by medical advice and by the removal of exciting causes. The chances of restoration seem to be in proportion to the timely attention bestowed.