The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-14 00:00:00

• " f

_
IUTTILEM HOSPITAL.

tne last meeting of the sub-committeti of this institu-
tion Sir P. Laurie made the following statement lative to
the ease of the female lunatic which had been re
brought
under the notice of the House of Commons by General
Pa tier
Prsident Pre-Faced his statement by expressing. his
notice his regret, that being at Buxton when General Palmer gaNe.
(gate ',notion, he was prevented giving that ins.tne-
exi,lanation which it was desirable should be afFartied
t9lth.-I.le unacquainted with the circumstances a the case,
Jout two tnorths afro Mr. Burgess, a governor, intrt3dueed
tdkieneral Palmer and a Mr. Lucca to view the hospital,
after examining the
patients, Mr, Lueett tok advan-
ge of the momentary absence of the nurse, whoo withdrew
to • ti
4-...enu to another patient, to endeavour to hour tome
i 1•
from a bottle, which he took
e Amad of from his pocket, upon
t. r'llTl
Ellen Mack, a patient who was then in a state
great maniacal excitement ; the violence of the patient
l'revented his doing. this, and the return of the nurse com-
pelled him to desist. He then Asked the surgeon whether
he would allow him to try an experiment upon this is. irl,
Ivhich he said would soon quiet and cure her. On the
surgeon's reporting* this circuit,' hue° to hint (Sir P. Lau-
rie), 1 e • • • •
L, • gale strict injunctir,as that no experiment of any
it'.:ari(nitsehrofeurled wbeithstt:ffheered, Paid that no one should be allowed
P"..actice of the responsible physicians,
" s• Monro and itiorrison, who stated that the patient
trhlitaiiidtiftihnecree b;tls in a more composed state of mind, and
every hope of her convalescence. Gene- ,
Aide'tirner, the following week, applied to the Court of
err,n°°, girl having been sent by the city, for an
the i 0 deliver her up to Mr. Lueett. The mother of
pref'• Also attended, and stated, in answer to him (the
iit,',4lerit) that she attended at the suggestion of the Ge-
-4( and Lucett. General Palmer admitted that he
tIN nothing of the mother, and that his object was to try
iexperiment. Sir Peter then gletailed to the Court
enct had occurred at Bethlem, and after noticing the ha-
-1,.a0 le statn e of the mother, tyl-,led, that in his opinion this
1.41 "thig but an attempt to gain a reputation of Mr.
"tt, whose wlvei:lisements they must all recollect
tarrioideutildi ag°, by allow,ing him to take a convalescent patient,
h._ then publish. a supposed cure ; that lie, as president,
eib•;not, corrsent to such dangerous experiments being
dap. " tut" patients, and warned the Court of the respon-
-03,4 would incur if, by authorizing Mr. Lueett to
ti), 11)113', death should be the result. After examining the
thc,t 'er, who said that she knew nothing about it, but
, gentleman had told her that if she would attend, " they
.:told treat her daughter like a lady and cure her," and
refused eonsidering the case, the application was unanimously
s

THE GOVERNORS of PATHLEM HOSPITAL.
stis
_entlemen,—ln compliar,ce with the request of your
tiarannittee to have a 'copy of the petition of which I
the given notice in tie House of Commons, relative to
fconduct of Sir ?eter Laurie, and others of the Court
ens Aldermen
ar.d Governors of Bethlem, in the case of a
oeale lunatic confined there, I have done myself the ho-
gate of ,
Rat 0, quismitting ; and it being intended to investi-
thees '"° Matter, I beg with great respect to address you
uhlicly, in submitting to your consideration the fols
Vea % statement of the case.—The question of this peti-
s:ll- Whether the lunatic, the daughter of the petitioner,
e ° tiurinn. four months has been under coercion and dose
plain:leniCat, in consequence of the violence of. her cous-
in 1' is to remain in such state until discharged as
i %able
, at the end of a twelvemonth; or if the mother
f'ss,:° 'le Permitted to place her in the hands of a pro-
llenai person who undertakes the immediate removal
her excitement, to release her from personal restraint,
was: to effect the speedy and perfect cure of her corn-
ferelnat, Provided she Isas no natural defect, nor has suf-
sent it, injury frana her treatment in Bethlem to pre-
(ler%s•l" 13at, entlernen, lam sorry to state, that your
tedent' Sir B. Laurie, as Chairman of the Court of Al-
4ti at Citilldhall refused the application of the peti-
,t'sesr',f,°': the sole and avowed purpose of preventing
. her
tiett;"l4‘ being placed in the hands of this medical practi-
the r I and as the justification of this act rests solely upon
tioestion of this individual's professional character, I
412 I- -st first tell you who and what he is. It was in the year
that this gentleman, Mr. Lucett, under the patronage
butkileir Royal Highnesses the late Duke of Kent and the
of, Q of Sussex,- and others of. the nobility and gentry,
. first
open
an establishment for the cure of insanity without
Ze-s"ellienient, or the employment
. of any of those means of
Ist, .°II and personal restraint resorted to by all other
ISisatle establishintints, as the necessity of the case
.dessiands ;
the Locetts Means of preventing such necessity, being
of the of instantly allaying the most violent paroxysm
perfecte crimplaint, and preventing its return until the
the di sure sure of the patient, by rersoving the cause of
coap .3ease• Nor is the power of Mr. Lucett's remedy
ti;ce to the case of raving issnacy, being equally effective
hatie °PPosite case, namety—metbid lunacy, wherein the
smetaitis are deprived e:the polvers of speeCh and sight,
eases e of their •limbs ; but wherein, as in all other
loss et' lnsanity not arising from natural defect, nor the
fas.: organs through injury or disease, Mr. Lucett
'ef\-.;teeted (and be challenges the contradiction of the
l
Sti 8411alediate relief and ultimate cure. Such, gent e-
'rth M. Lucett's pretensions, and as it is necessary
the
case to prove his merit, allow me to state
11:;:tfiter.e.ed out of the numerous
.Ctli:es performed
. by Mr.
those ,lo eases of the worst description—none, indeed, but
a°andoned by all other practitioners having ever been
to his hands. His first cure was performed in
bsks; bolus the memorable case of the sergeant of the late
elite et IC.ent's band—and I say memorable, because the
the s io th;s and in the next instance were the cause of
kJ:1114i" inquiry that took place into the managementthe of
,e)"' Hospital, and the consequent dismissal of
I,lad 'l,."°l° of its medical establishment. This man, who
1)y the three years in Bethlem, having been certified
f.e Physicians to be an incurable and dangerous lunatic,
l'akedeand by Mr. Lucett, when he went to take him out,
"N.,- and chained to the ground. Having dismissed the
~ithinrers ,
' Lucett proceeded with his remedy, and
Nit an hour the man's claains were removed, his cloth es
11.4°1(1), and the patient, thiss free from all personal restraint,
h',.,from his cell into Ars Lucett's carriage, who took him
I,4'louse at Stratord. On the following morning the
'h°,4 at Stratfork4, who is still in practice there (and has
tool tl
te fact)
tics
credit
to '• went to see the patient, and was so as-
s And him perfectly sound in mind, lie could
tose-rt `'sit '2tie fact of his previous state, and went on pur-
kietie '-fondon to make the inquiry ; but on his arrival at
serer he was informed that orders bad been given to an-
-4 °,euestions on the subject. Within six weeks, this de-
-
elion.alcurahle maniac perform ed again in full band at
rig
4(1 '''t°n Palace, from which time to the present, he has
Le.l eturn of his complaint, has continued perfectly well
nd lasttth, has had a large family whom he has brought up,
the though advanced in years, is at this moment in
the
practice of his professional talents. Notwith-
otan Itslg this cure, for which Mr. Lucett was awarded the
is °' 200
. guineas by the Board of Treasury, the Beth-
ffeet denied him the -merit, declaring it to be the
Ittel3• chance, and demain.'silig further proof. Acccrd-
this second trial tools place, and the result was, that
tnan declared '
ant incurable, and considered the most inanale that hail
sever. entered the walls of Bethlem,
ocat' videtiit all h
esir of Mr. Lucett's arrival to release him,
tvai t,O Ilia side in a post-chaise, free from chains, strait-
(l,.3,
alts'(at rse any other species of restraint ! On the third
the tr. his arrival at Mr. Lucett's this man went upon
t4ir,drmsos,4olB:l3}e'lael;:exnethange, and conversed rationally with several
Itis4„ns who had seen him in Bethlehem ; within three
°nehome to see
.his
.relations in Samersetshire,
„ ssistoe afterwards, being in the Marines, was st.a7
Osiris "" 150t1a as a recruiting sergeant. The next trial
It.ase of morbid lunacy) was made in 1828, the pa-
oisse4v,.°).4 been selected by Robert Gordon, Esq., of' the
) Otthe Q‘
re Commons, and the promoter of the asylum about
dat Hanwell. This man was an idiot, with-
'.'ralte'° Power of speech or the use of his limbs, and in
Air, 6,s from the pressure of the optic nerve. To satisfy
then therd,ol'n, Mr. Lucca took him, and within seven weeks
o 114 recovered his reason, sight, speech, and the
sh ts limbs, sufficiently to be enabled to make a pair
srtiees, with which he waited with Mr. Lucett on Mr.
.iott, to thank him for the benefit lie had received ; from
11 (
I'l3.sisti4):lte lie had not the least return of insanity to the
no'}
r art. '.irne afterwards, from a disease of
rela‘tl t n having-, I hoped, prepared
°
I:neuid, Oetillierew'iese' be afraid to state, I must
~icr
Isis 'acts of a case that. has just occurred in Beth-
;tt„-,' trust svill remove all doubt of Mr. Lucett's
Beth-
,t fso those who cannot believe it may now see and
r themselves. It was On a
public visiting day at
1)4'1 Just six weeks back, that after visitine• the hos-
tvri,4vtttho tb.e house surgeon, on returning to the hall we
feat, °f a patient, the landlord of a public-house,
iss-.;l.s'' months' residence in Bethlem was allowed
lassi sssenee, to be under his wife's care at home, with
_
an attendant ; but after five months' trial
/),Cl', she f
Was • now come in great distress to ask ad-
assistss •
1-1::.Y°14:2"
etlese:t;:lenit:esic'
dangerouspati en tt 'oh ei
keepng i nh
iarns
longertateo f ei
nx c i
thete-
lsitA hatilennes jugeonb replied, he could do nothing
and for her, that
eing nearly expired, his case incur-
rj?lssits_, not be taken back; and, on my asking why lie
' 'piceabt-s he told me lie hadbecome paralytic from drink:
r
forelr. Lselle'tfe, being thus dismissed, I made
. .her the sae
„..ers,e4Lol,,,,,,euvert,t
i‘siars.sistance, which she gladly accepted.
,Be-
Lucca arrived, I had seen and con-
Ntet 'ith the patient, whom I found in a state of great
311 th,ll'"t and delusion' of mind ; but, on seeing him agalll
It;?tuflll°,l.ving. Mr. Lu.cetf.s application, of his- treat-.
hoodelss; "an perfectly in his sores, the excitement
"Y he'n °f Mind being entirely removed ; but for his
al
th, ne was in a very weak and nervous state,

A~.J

and so continued (for I sag' itto every day) while he re-
mained at home attending to his ciittothers, and keeping
late 'vein 1 but -since his discharge from Bethlem, just
three weeks since, he has Made the rapid progress of bo-
dily health whieli the recovery at once of appetite and
sleeps after the loss of both for
.nearly two years, may be
supposed to effect. ; for his Wife declares that for more thar
12 months before .he tht taken to Bethlemi he had, been
deprived of 0.60 arid appetite, eatinA liisnoiutely nothing,
lii Only nottriSlriVebt (fat; ibust have been so) being the
beer or y 4 h*6 must have taken, which accounted for hi:
feeblZ state of body, and the opinion pf the eergeon respect.
in; it. In confirmation of sisi.s .aSe, I refer you to the wife's
statement to the 6Thmittee of Mr. Lucctt's treatment of the
patieettaMely, that he gave him a powder- which in a little
time caused him to drop on the Being- carried tc
bed, a violent and te.‘iitinued sickness followed, Mr. Lucett
in the ureel ',line bathing and rubbing hi head with ato
tion, stomach being at last reli.i.VM, tick') patient fel.
into a sound sleep, from ,ehteh he awoke the next morning
perfectly in Kifiee, and made a hearty breakfast, not
liavitsi. Wallowed an ounce of breed fer 'ninths before.
This was the substance of het eVidence, and in answer to
the caution given he Of the consequences, she declared that
from what else had seen of the effect of Mr, hikcett's medi-
cine in at flee restoring her hush seth sensesi appetite, and
sleet, she had no doubt of hie complete recovery, if left in
the same hands, Upon this evidence and deeletation of the
wife, and-with the assistance of a toble lord present, wlu
kindly interested himself in her behalf, the patient was dis-
charged by the committee, the president being in the chair;
who having einee published his statement In the `'J mes,to pre-
judice the case of the petitioner, I now proceed to relate the
circumstances as shortly as justice to the parties lie has in-
sulted and celurenlated by such statement will permit. It
was on my first visit to Bethlem I saw Elizabeth Mick,
the Patient being in a frightful state of excitement, and to
repeat the words of Lord Dudley Stuart, who saw her with
me afterwards, I shall never forget her scream. On the
next weekly visiting day I went again, and finding her in
the same dreadful state, I resolved to bring Mr. Lucett to
see her, and accordingly we were admitted the next day,
through the kindness of Mr. Burgess, who met us at
Bethlem 'for the purpose. On arriving at the place of the
patient's confinement, Mr. Lucett went in to see her, I
then told Mr. Burgess my reason for bringing him, and
having the remedy to allay her excitement in his pocket, I
begged him, to send for the so peon to ask his consent to
try it. In the mean time, Mr. Lucett being alone with
the patient, and 'flaying managed to calm her sufficiently;
.was Proceedeing to apply hit remedy, when the return of the
keepe'. renewed her excitement and prevented it—this act
Mr. Luectt being the impulse of his feeling to relieve the
patient, but imprudent and unfortunate for both, as the
event proved. On the arrival of the' surgeon, I asked
his consent, which he declined in the absence of the physi-
cian, and I soon found it would be in vain to ask it.
On consulting Mr, Burgess, he advised me to apply
to the Committee, and especially to the Noble Lord
I have before mentioned, who had great influence
with them ; accordingly I waited on his Lordship, who re-
ceived me most kindly, and readily premised his assistance,
if he foetid on inquiry he could give it ; but after making
it he told me he had beta given so bad a character of Mr
Lucca, he was Compelled to oppose my wish t his Lord-
ship's informant being the matron of the hospital, as I after-
wards found from herself, Thus defeated in my attempt,
the only way left was to obtain the patient's discharge. In
the mean time the third visiting-day arrived ; when I
found, to my surprise, the matron with the lunatic, who was
sitting up. in bed in high spirits and good humour (being
without her strait-waiscoat), and amused with the company
and conversation of the nurse, and the apples she gave her ;
but on my next visit I found her 'again in solitude, and her
strait-waistcoat, and as violent as ever—this being the day
Lord Dudley Stuart saw her, or rather heard her scream,
for his Lordship could not bear the sight. What, then,
was my astonishment on the following 'morning, when I
went to Guildhall with the petitioner for the patient's
discharge, to find the matron in Court opposing it ; who
declared the lunatic was much better and would soon be
well ; upon which assertion on her side, against the remon-
strance and entreaty of the mother, the Cmirt, consisting
of Sir Peter and another Alderman, refused the application
unanimously, this being Old only truth in his statement,
which I am compelled to' declare a misrepresentation of the
fact throughout, I therefore trust, gentlemen; in jus-
tice to all rehies, you will call the petitioner before you ;
who can neither read nor write, but has Come from her
home in Ireland solely to protect her child t and if you will
listen to her story of what passed its Guildhall and also in
Bethlem, relative to the matron and her daughter, you can
judge for yourselves who is least worthy of belief, and wine
the most inrbeete—the President or Mary Mack. Such,
gentlemen, are the facts of the case : and I will only add,
in justice to the character of the lunatic, whom the sur-
geon stated to be a prostitute, committed to Giltspur-street
for her misconduct (the prison being the foundation of the
story he was led to believe); I find, from all who know
her, that since she came to England, until the ,mornent of
being taken up mad in the streets, her conduct has not
only been irreproachable, but in every respect most exem-
plary ; and under all thu trials she has gone through, to be
only ascribed to her religions feeling, as exemplified in a
scene that took place in Bethlem between the matron, her
mother, and herself, which would interest all Christians in
practice, whatever their creed, to hear: And now, gentle-
men, allow me, on public grounds, for a few moments longer,
to call your attention, as the Governors of Bethlem, to the
system of moral and medical treatment for insanity esta-
blished in it. As to the first, I believe you know the fact
that medicine is in no case administered, as the cure of the
disease ; and as to moral treatment, the system is equally
inefficient. For example, in this case, look to the change
produced in the lunatic by the transition from coercion
and confinement, to the company and kindness of the
matron when it suited her purpose to bestow it ; and
then, by the return to solitude and the strait-waistcoat,
when the purpose was effected. But as to the general
treatment, how is it possible in a hospital of nearly 300
patients, with scarcely a dozen keepers, to do justice to
them ? and what must be the wear and tear of the keep-
ers' minds and bodies in having to contend with all those
lunatics alternately confined and set at liberty as the fits
of excitement come on and leave them ? If then, gen-
tlemen, the remedy could he found to prevent excite-
ment, and, consequently, the necessity for confinement ;
and if, further, the treatment can be found for the cure
of the disease ; will not the publication of such discovery
to the world be one of the greatest benefits to mankind ?
It is therefore in the firm belief that Mr. Lucett is in
the•possession of this invaluable remedy, I leave the pe-
titioner's cause in your hands, in the hope of its afford-
ing the opportunity of a public trial of Mr. Lucett's merit
in the case of the lunatic in question.
I have the honour to be, gentlemen, your obedient, hum-
ble. servant,
Charges-street, Oct. 9.

CHARLES PALMER.

COURT CIRCUL AR.

The- King gave audiences yesterday, at St. James's, to
the Earl of Minto, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, and the Right
Hon. Cutler Ferguson.
The Queen accompanied by the Duchess of Saxe Wei-
mar and Prince Ernest of Philipsthal, and attended by Earls
Howe and Denbigh, viewed Sutherland House yesterday
morning.

The Landgravine of Hesse Ilotnburg, the Princess
Sophia, and the Princess Sophia Matilda, lunched with
their Majesties.

Their Majesties, accompanied by the Duchess of Saxe
Weimar, left town at half-past three o'clock yesterday after-
noon in a
.carriage and four, with an escort. of Hussars, for
Windsor Castle.

The Landgravine of Ilesse Homburg dined with Lord
Adolphus Fitzelarence last evening at his residence in St.
James's Palace. •

Prince Ernest of Philipsthal dined with Baron Bulow,
the Prussian Minister, last evening at his residence in Sea-
more-place. _

Count d'Ag,lie, the Sardinian Minister, transacted busi-
ness yesterday at the Foreign Office.

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

Last night a new operatic drama, called Cavaliers and
Roundheads, was produced at this theatre. To those who
have read the novels of Scott the story of this piece is suf-
ficiently indicated when they know that Baljbur of Burley,
Clarcrhouse, Henry Morton, Sergeant Bothwell, Lord
Evandale, the Bellendens (brother Lind sister, and Edith,
their niece), Niel Blanc, and Cuddle Headrig, arc the
leading characters. Many of the principal incidents of the
novel are to be found in the drama, and they are combined
with suGicient judgment and coherency to sustain what, no
doubt, was the principal object—the display of various
picturesque, and, in some instances, almost sublime, sce-
nery. The Clam-house of last night was Mr. Diddear,
and he sustained it with judgment. We doubt whether
Mr. Vandenhoff's Ba/ibur would not have pleased Sir
Walter him Self. His conception of the character was cor-
rect, and he conveyed very forcibly the idea of the uncom-
promising covenanter, with whom even murder was a merit
when the blood of a religious antagonist was to be shed.
, Harley was very laughable in Cuddy Headrig, and Warde,
as Sergeant Bothwell, was every inch a cavalier—profligate,
loyal, and intrepid. The music is a selection from popular
Scotch airs, and from the Puritani of Bellini. The part
of it which seemed to have given most pleasure was the
overture (which was encored), a Scotch air by Mrs: Fitz-
william (which was sung with great sweetness), and a song.
in the second act, by Miss Fanny Healy, which is not un-
likely to become. popular. That part of the music
which the drama is indebted to Bellini did not, in the e':c-
cution of it, seem to_ have given very general satisfaction..