The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-04 00:00:00

NT OF PATIENTS IN
BETHLEHEM.

MINUS= OP rtOCEIDINOII taken at the °Mee of the
Metropolitan Commissioners in Lunacy, 19, New-street,
Spring-gardens, July 17, 1861. B. W. Proctor, Esq., in
the °hair.
ADJOURNED INQUIRY AS TO THE MAN 'IOE-
MENT AND TREATMENT OF PATIENTS.
Mrs. Eusanwra WHITTINGHAM called; and, having
been sworn, Is examined by the commissioners as follows
Had you a daughter who wee a patient in Bethlehem Hoe-
pitell—Yes.
When was she sent to Bethlehem Hospital se a patient ?
On the 9th of January last.
In what date was her bodily health when she went /
See health was delicate ; she bad bad an illness for soma
dos before that.
What was her 'Wily condition I—She had had an inflem-
rnatioa of the throat before, and a cough add cold. She
had not been very well niece her illness.
Was she thin?—Yes, she hid fallen away; she was
pretty well, but she was thinner than she g Ily is.
Had she any bruises or marks on her body when she
went in I—Oh no.
Had she been violent ?—She was violent ; she was high,
but not to do any mischief.
Had you ever caused her to be restrained in any way by
a strait jacket, or anything of that sort?—No, nothing of
the kind.
When did you see her after her admission ?—I think it
must have been two months before 1 could see her. I went
but I was not allowed to see her, it was after the proper
time.
How was it after the proper time ?--You cannot see
them for a month I went before the time, and they would
not allow me, and some of my friends also went, but they
could not see her. Afterward,, at the proper time, 1 went
with my sister, and then the nurse said I coin,' not
see her.
How keg was that after her admission think it ma
have been a month after her admission, perhaps the month
might not have been up when I first went, but when I
went again it was the proper time. I saw the nurse, and
she said I could not see her. I said, " Cannot see her !
must see her ; lam her mother." She said, " I cannot
help that; you cannot see her."
Do you know the name of the nurse 3—No, I do not
know her name ; she was a stout person.
Your daughter was out of her mind when she was sent
OD Bethlehem Hospital ?-011, yes; 1 am sorry to say she

When did you see her, In feet ?—I think IS must have
been about two months ; I do not think I saw her be fore:

Did you make inquiry as to when you might see her ?
Not then I did not; I knew I could see her in a fortnight
afterwards.
Then you went I—Yes.
And you saw her ?—Yes.
How did she appear to be I—She appeared to be in great
distress; she cried bitterly, and I entreated her not to dom.
She said, " I cannot help it; I cry all night." She said,
" Look at my fingers," one of which was very much
swollen ; and I said, " What is the nun of that ? " " Oh,"
she said, "it is one of the nurses." Then she said " Look
at my bruises," and she showed me them.
Where were they?—All down the side, and I believe
more than that ; but I did not see more. I said, " Why
do you not complain to Dr. Wood ?" and she said,
"It is of no use to make complaints." Dr. Wood
happened to come up et the time, and he said,
" What is the matter ?" I said, "See, she has had one of
her fingers very much hurt." He said, " How was that ?"
and she told him it was one of the nurses. She then said,
"Look at my side," and she showed him the bruises.
Had she been tumbling about ?—No ; it was done by the
Kane. The least thing would make her tremble, she was
so weak after what had been given to her; the least thing
would throw her down.
Were they bruises, or were any of them wounds ?—Oh,
so ; they were not wounds. She had the misfortune to fall
down and hurt her hip, and was bad for a long while ; and
when sbe over-exerted herself sometimes, it would come
eat. She told Dr. Wood that she had a feeling at times as
If her hip came in and out, and he said, "Oh, no ; you
sould not walk if it were so."
Did Dr. Wood say anything about the bruises I—One of
the nurses cams in, and he said to her, " How is this? "
pointing to her finger. The nurse looked at it, and she
said " Oh, that isan old affair."
Wes it an old affair never saw it before.
Was the finger swollen I—The joint of the finger was
swollen very ranch.
Was there any discolerisation ?—I did not perceive any-
thing of the kind.
Did it look black and blue ?—No.
Can you give the commissioners the name of the nurse ?
—The name of the nurse, I think, was Elisabeth. My
daughter said it was not her, but she said, " She has struck
me with the keys."
Elisabethl—Yes.
The nurse that made the remark about the finger was
Elisabeth ?—Yes, I think it was Elizabeth.
Do you know her other name ? —No.
Was your daughter in what is called the basement story ?
—Yes, she was kept there three months.
Did you see what she slept on ?—No; but she told me
that she slept en nothing but bare straw.
And naked I—Yes ; no night clothes on at all.
Did you see the state that your daughter was in ? Did
she smell of urine ?-oh, uo, nothing of the kind.
Did she dirty herself ?-1 am not aware of it.
Did she ever do so before she went into Bethlehem I—No,
never.
Before she went into the hospital, was she in the habit of
bruising herself in any way I—She used to knock her chest
for a day or two in that way [describing it], but she did not
bruise herself.
She did not fall ?—Oh ! no.
When you went to the hospital, were you shown into the
basement where she slept?—No, into the gallery, a entail
Wain so large as the second gallery.
ere you admitted into the place where she was living ?
—No.
They brought her out of the room into the gailery to
visit you ?—Yes.
Yost did not see her where she actually was I—No.
Then you had no opportunity of examining her bed of
bedding?—No, not anything.
Did you know in what part of the hospital she was con-
gaed I—The lower part, the basement.
Did you know that I—Yes.
How long after you went to the hospital, and asked to
ass her, was she brought to you ?—Not long.
Hew long did you wait I—A little while; I suppose while
die bad her clothes put on.
Not very long I—No.
Was she clean when she omit to you ?—She was not what
she used to be. She had got a shawl on, hut her hair was
v ery bad indeed ; her hair was almost all cut off, and they
had taken her combs and brushes away.
Do you think her clothes were put on for the purpose of
her being brought up and shown to you I—She said they
were put on for the occasion.
Did she say that in the presence of the nurse I—She must
have heard it; she spoke very loud.
Was any reason given to you why she was placed in the
basement ward I—Not any.
Do you know why she was placed in the basement ward
—I do not. She was not long in the hospital before she was
taken down there.
When yon saw her at this visit, was she tolerably
rational ? could she talk on any subject?—At times she did,
and then she wandered again.
When son say she wen out of her mind, describe to the
commissioners in what way. Had she delusions about any
particular thing, or in what way was she out of her mind
before she went to the hospital ?—Oh, dear! she was violent,
and fancied there were different things in the house.
What sort of things ?—She fancied somebody was kept
up stain that we would not let her see, and she fancied she
was going eat of the country.
How lent did you remain with your daughter on you
first visit ?—I think about an hour.
And then you left her I—Then I left her.
How soon after that did you see her again ?—I cannot
say whether I went the next fortnight or it was a month
after that, because there were other relations who went to
see her.
Was the next time you went within a month ?—lt might
have been.
In what condition was she then?—She appeared very
mach the same ,• she wanted to come home very bad.
Was her mind better ?—I think her mind was.
It was better on your second visit than on the first ?
Ye-

Wee her bodily condition just the Name?—Much about
the same.
Did you see the matron at either visit never did.
Did you see Dr. Wood on the second visit?—Yes,
asked him what he thought of her, and he said she was going
on pretty well.
Did she complain of ill-treatment on your second visit?
—lndeed, she did, every time; we thought it was a de-
lusion

Did she show you any marks or bruises on your second
visit ?—She said that one of them had pulled her by the
hair of her head ; that she had been awake all night, sad
she had overslept herself a little; and when the nurse
cams in, she took hold of her by the hair of her head, and
shook her so much, that she did not know where she was,
and it brought on • Bt of coughing.
Was it in order to make her get up ?—Yes.
Did she say which nurse did that ?—I think sbe said a
person of the name of Turner.
You said a little while ago that your daughter, in the
presence of one of the nurses, said that she had beaten her
with the keys ?—That the _nuns had struck her with the
rys.
She said that in the presence of the nurse ? —The name
was going away ; she said, " It was not you who did this
but she said, "she struck me with the keys."
Did you visit her after that again ?—Yes, I visited her
two or three times.
Did you ever see any other marks upon her ?—No ; het
face appeared very much swollen.
In what way ?—I suppose it was with crying so much.
Did she make complaints oa your other visits ?—No. I do
not recollect that she did. She wanted very much to come
home.
Did you ever speak to Dr. Wood or the matron about her
ill. treatment ?—1 spoke that morning.
Not again 2—No.
Nor Mrs. Hunter, the matron ?—I never saw the matron.
She was to be seen. I never saw her. .t
War your daughter discharged recovered from her men-.
tel diocese?—Yes, in June.
DJ you remember the date ?—I think it was the 6th of
7th of June.
Wes she recovered ?—Yes.

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