The report of the committee of visitors & superintendent of the Cheshire Lunatic Asylum : made to the court of general quarter sessions of the peace, holden at Nether Knutsford, in and for the county of Chester, on Monday, April 8th, 1861.

  • Cheshire County Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The report of the committee of visitors & superintendent of the Cheshire Lunatic Asylum : made to the court of general quarter sessions of the peace, holden at Nether Knutsford, in and for the county of Chester, on Monday, April 8th, 1861. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    bake bread for the whole establishment. So far as we can judge, the works are substantial and well finished, and we are glad to learn that they have been completed, including all fixtures, for the sum originally estimated, viz., £8,000, or at the rate of £40 per patient. We hope that no time will now be lost in supplying the necessary furniture, so that these wards may be occupied and the crowding now observable in the older wards diminished. We think that on the female side, it will be found necessary to provide fire-places or stoves in the upper galleries, so as to warm them during the \\ inter. u We are glad to be enabled again to report very favor¬ ably of the condition of the Asylum. The progressive improvements which have been effected in it are very credi¬ table to Mr. Brushfield.” During the progress of these works, the attention of the Committee was directed to the urgent necessity that existed for providing a more plentiful supply of hot water for bathing and other purposes, and also of increasing the facilities for washing and drying of the clothing and bedding of the patients. To enable them to do this, a grant was obtained from the Sessions in June last, for the purpose of erecting a steam- engine and boiler, and complete steam apparatus, for washing and drying the clothes. This machinery has been in opera¬ tion for some weeks, and answers remarkably well for all the purposes for which it was required. The total cost of these works was £1353. Males. Females. Total. On the 31st December, 1859, the number of patients in the Asylum was. 136...174...310 Admitted from 1st January to present date 70... 62... 132 Males. Females. 206 236 442 Discharged during the same period. 24...41 Died .ditto. 30...17 54... 58...112 152. ,.178. ..330 The Eate charged to the Unions and Parishes during the past year, for the care and maintenance of patients, has been 8s. 2d. per head, per week. One or two alterations have taken place in the salaries of the officers, that of the Superintendent having'been raised’from