Report of the medical officers of the Lancaster County Lunatic Asylum [for 1851] : instituted 1816.

  • Lancaster County Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the medical officers of the Lancaster County Lunatic Asylum [for 1851] : instituted 1816. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    3/16
    TO THE VISITING JUSTICES OF THE LANCASTER COUNTY LUNATIC ASYLUM. The Medical Officers of the Lancaster Lunatic Asylum have pleasure in submitting their yearly Report to the Committee of Visitors. During the twelve months ending on the 23rd of June last, 88 patients have been admitted. A diminution, as compared with the preceding year, to the amount of 125 ; though the daily average number being 773, is higher than at any period since the opening of the establishment. It will be observed that the recoveries are less in number than usual this year, a circumstance almost entirely owing to the falling off in the admissions, from wdiich, of course, a majority of cures are to be expected. It is gratifying, however, to be able to state that the deaths have been reduced to 8 per cent.: a rate of mortality below the average both of this, and most similar institutions of the kingdom. Several of the deaths have occurred amongst the older residents in the Asylum; in three instances, the period of residence had been upwards of thirtyj years, and in four cases, it varied from twenty to twenty-six years. On the opening of the two Asylums at Prestwich and Rainhill, in January last, relief was at once afforded to the various Unions in the county, by the admission of urgent cases which had, of necessity, been detained in workhouses, at great inconvenience, owing to the crowded state of both Lancaster and Hay dock Lodge Asylums. The arrangements decided upon by the Visitors, as to the future distribution of the county patients, were well calculated to meet the exigences of the case, to promote the best interests of humanity, and to obviate unnecessary expense, all the patients in Haydock Lodge— with the exception of three—were removed to the new Asylums ; and as regarded the large number of patients from the south of the comity in this institution, it was thought advisable that they should remain here rather than be removed, thus crowding the new establishments with feeble and chronic cases.