Reports upon Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, with statistical tables, for the year 1887.

Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

Date:: 1888

Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reports upon Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, with statistical tables, for the year 1887. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Discharges. Deaths. Rate of mortality. Age at death. Inquests. General health. Epileptics. Industrial occupation of inmates. Escape. 4 Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Two o£ the women caused three deaths each, and one woman caused two deaths. In the case of the 10 women all the lives taken were those of their own children. In 12 of the admissions (11 men and one woman) the offence charged was attempting to murder, maim, &c. Three men were discharged out of custody during the year. Two of these were released conditionally to the care of friends, and one was discharged absolutely. One man was transferred as a criminal lunatic to another asylum ; and three women, upon the expiration of their sentences, were transferred as pauper lunatics to other asylums. The deaths during the year were 14 in number, 11 men and 3 women. The per-centage of deaths, reckoned upon the average daily number resident, was, for men, 2*77, for women, 2*09, for both men and women, 2*59. This is a somewhat smaller per¬ centage than the yearly average per-centage since the opening of the Asylum in 1863, which is 3*02. The average age at death for both sexes was 60 years, for men 66, for women 40. All the men, with one exception, were 50 years of age or more at the time of their death. The Coroner, in accordance with regulation, held an inquest upon every inmate who died, and the verdicts are recorded in Table 5. A jpost-mortem examination was held in each case, and the notes are given in Table 36. The causes of death were all of an ordinary character, and no death was due to violence, suicide, or accident, The general health of the inmates was quite as good as it could be expected to be; and there was an entire immunity from epidemic disease and from such disorders as are usually traceable to unwholesomeness of surroundings. The epileptics at the end of the year numbered 43 ; and the means provided for their supervision and inspection, both by day and by night, were found to be sufficient and satisfactory. Great benefit continues to be derived from the industrial occu¬ pation of the inmates. Table 33 shows the various kinds of re¬ munerative employment in which 188 male and 106 female patients were engaged during the year, together with the estimated value of their labour. There was one successful attempt at escape. A man, practically recovered, and employed as a painter, while returning from his work in some buildings outside the asylum walls, absconded into the neighbouring woods and made good his escape. He was re¬ taken at Chester six months afterwards and was brought back to the asylum.