Third annual report of the medical superintendent of the Manchester Royal Lunatic Hospital, situate near Cheadle, Cheshire, for the year from June 25th, 1852, to June 24th, 1853.

  • Manchester Royal Lunatic Hospital.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Third annual report of the medical superintendent of the Manchester Royal Lunatic Hospital, situate near Cheadle, Cheshire, for the year from June 25th, 1852, to June 24th, 1853. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    you render him an object of unhappiness to himself and others. This is true of all minds, and is doubly so as regards the insane. Their mental faculties have been unhinged, and they can no longer exercise their functions as formerly; the noble and mysterious piece of mechanism has fallen into a state of jarring discord, and it is not likely to return to its original state of its own accord; entire freedom from employment will not produce the needful restoration, so long as the delusions excited occupy the place which reason ought to have. These delusions must be supplanted by ideas of a more healthful and rational kind, assisted by such mental and physical exercises and amusements as are capable of producing this end. Hence the necessity of the adoption of such means as may effect the twofold purpose of removing the cause of the disorder, and of providing some substitute to occupy the plaue of the cause which produced the disease. This provision is furnished by the institution of Lunatic Hos¬ pitals. The superiority of treating patients affected with cerebro- mental disease in those, instead of treating them at home, consists in this: that patients are there out of the reach of the influence of such associations as have a tendency to continue, and aggravate their diseases. In general the delusions of the insane are associated with places, situations, or circumstances in life; and so long as the unhappy being is surrounded by these associations or circumstances, cure is hopeless. But the saying, ‘‘out of sight out of mind,” will be found true in the case of the insane, to a greater extent than in the case of others. Hence the removal of the patient must be held as an essential pre-requisite to successful treatment. Again, it is necessary that such exercise be provided as is proved by experience to* be most fitted to bring back that healthful state of thought and feeling which characterises a sane mind. But the question may be asked, what kind of exercise is most fitted to produce the end in view ? To this it may be answered generally, that it must be such as may tend to call all the mental and physical energies into operation, and especially such as can be brought to bear efficiently I on those organs which being diseased produce insanity; particularly, i I would say, in the first place, that the exercise must be such as to i promote physical or bodily health. This will appear evident, if we I consider the intimate relation of body and mind, and how unlikely I the mental energies are to remain sound, and how utterly impossible I is is that they should not become vitiated, in case the health of the body is neglected. Now it is admitted on ail hands that a large amount of such exercise as the farm or garden furnishes is best adapted to promote the health of our physical system. This muts be evident, if we consider that those who enjoy most of the country atmosphere, and who spend most of their time in such gentle exercises as they may there at all times obtain, that those whose life is most primitive, and least exposed to the bustle of civilization