Report of the Committee of Visitors of the Lunatic Asylum for the City and County of Bristol, together with the reports of the medical superintendent & chaplain / Bristol Lunatic Asylum.

  • Bristol Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1884
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Committee of Visitors of the Lunatic Asylum for the City and County of Bristol, together with the reports of the medical superintendent & chaplain / Bristol Lunatic Asylum. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/46 (page 7)
    OF THE Visiting Commissioners in Lunacy. Bristol Borough Asylum, November 22nd, 1883. This Asylum, which has to-day been inspected by us, con¬ tains 435 patients, 202 males and 233 females, and all but two of each sex of the pauper class. There are thus 10 patients more than at the visit of our colleagues on November 3rd of last year, and in two years the increase in number has been 35. To .provide for the present number of women, beds for 16 have to be made upon the floor, but in the male division there are 9 vacancies. The increase of accommodation is therefore a ques¬ tion of pressing importance; but, in the view of our Board, a necessary preliminary is, as the Visitors are aware, an addition to the very limited Asylum estate. This, we understand, com¬ prises but 30 acres, an extent obviously inadequate for the present number of inmates, and we feel sure that the Board will feel unable to recommend for the sanction of the Secretary of State any extension of the existing accommodation until there has been a material addition to the land. We are in¬ formed that negotiations are on foot to this end, and we trust they may, without much delay, be brought to a successful issue. Since the last visit 60 males and 66 females have been admitted here, 20 males and 37 females were discharged, 16 males and 33 females on recovery, and 39 males and 21 females died. In 50 of these 60 deaths the cause of death was verified by post-mortem examination. Of the causes of death general