Twenty-sixth annual report, 1890 / Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Lunatic Asylum.

  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Twenty-sixth annual report, 1890 / Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Lunatic Asylum. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    in 24 instances. The Asylum has been free from any infectious malady, and the health of the patients is on the whole satisfactory; and there have been but three serious casualties, and the only noteworthy one is of a patient who had his leg broken by a ball at cricket. The epileptic patients are 46, and the actively suicidal 12. All of these, with the exception of one dangerous male epileptic, sleep under continuous supervision by night. This man has been secluded on 20 occasions, and for 162 hours; only one other patient has been so treated, and that but once, and for three hours. Two women have been restrained— both for surgical reasons; one is still under restraint, and necessarily so, as we consider. Exclusive of the head attendants, there are 15 of each sex on day, and three of each sex on night duty. Of the male attendants five, and of the nurses seven, have not lived here a year, but 12 of the former and eight of the latter sex have spent some time in the Asylum service. Their sitting and mess room on either side is fairiy comfortable. We are glad to find that a billiard table is to be purchased, which will afford amusement to the attendants when the patients are in bed; but difficulties exist in the way of providing a piano for the nurses on account of the close proximity of their room to the dormitories occupied by patients. Walks within the grounds are able to be enjoyed by the majority of the patients, and few physically able are entirely confined for exercise to the airing courts. Nearly 200 join the associated gatherings, and small parties are sent to places of amusement in the city. About 100 men and 135 women are usefully employed, 40 of the former and 48 of the latter being ward cleaners. There is still no service held here on week days, but at the