The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-06 00:00:00

LUNATIC BILLS.

Lord ASHLEY then rose to move for leave to bring in two
Bills for the regu'ation of the care and treatment of insane
persons in England and Wales. The Noble Lord, who spoke
in such a low tone of voice as to be frequently altogether in-
audible, was understood to say that he felt it necessary to preface
his motion by a few preliminary observations. He proposed to
repeal all the existing Acts, and to substitute for them other
measures, containing those alterations and amend-
ments which time had rendered neeessary. In
order to prevent misconception, he would at once
distinctly stated that his measure related to England and Wales,
and not to either Scotland or Ireland. He should be glad if
they did—( Hear, hear, from Mr. Fox Maule)—for he was
sure that there was not one civilised spot in Europe in which
lunatic paupers were in so degraded a condition as in Scotland.
He proposed dividing the lunatic asylums of this country into
classes. Under the old act of Geo. 111., no power was given
of discharging officers or patients who might have become sane,
and no return was kept of the state of the asylums. Great
amendments had been made in that act. Since last year
the opinion which he had expressed that great abuses prevailed
in those asylums, had been confirmed by experience. No
doubt, great abuses did prevail, and would prevail, in such
institutions ; and, although they could not wholly remove those
evils, they might go much further than they had hitherto gone.
Iv the first place, he should propose the establishment of a per-
manent Commission, by which they would secure the entire
and exclusive services of persons conversant with the condi-
tion of lunatics. By appointing such a commission they
would do a great deal more for the proper management of those
asylums than any other steps which they could take. He proposed
to place lunatic hospital under the same regulations as county
asylums with provisions for the proper security of pauper lunatics.
They would likewise take powers for the Commissioners to
authorise the admission of friends of lunatics into lunatic asy-
lums. They should likewise enforce true returns of
all single patients; and a private Committee would
be appointed to visit the houses in which single
patients were confined; and he might just remark that
this provision was quite in conformity with the French law.
They would likewise take the power which did not exist at
present, but which experience had proved to be necessary,
namely, a power enabling the Lord Chancellor to protect the
property of lunatics, against whom Commissions might
be issued. These mobile the provisions and amend-
ments
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the leading points. There were forty counties in England,
and there were but sixteen county asylums, and of these several
were in a most disreputable condition. In the sixteen asylums
there was one which had eight hundred patients. One had
six hundred lunatics, another had five hundred, and several had
more than three hundred. It was found, also, that most of
the patients were incurable, and that a preference was given
always to recent cases. In consequence of the deficiency of
county asylums, lunatics were placed in the union workhouses.
In Redruth workhouse thole were forty lunatics. In Birming-
ham there were seventy-one ,and in the workhouses of England

and Wales there was a total of 1,339 lunatics, who were
under no sort of care whatever.—( Cries of " Hear, hear.")
Let them now take the condition of the pauper lunatics in the
borough of Dartmouth, and they were not in any degree better
circumstanced than the cases he had already referred to. It
had been proved that the magistrates had not visited
the asylum there for above a year. In 1844 the con-
dition of that asylum was again reported, and the state
of the paupers in that year was as bad as in former times.
Again, within the last six years, their condition had been made
known, and it was found so wretched that a communication had
to be made by the board to the magistrates of the county.
Many lunatic asylumi, he was happy to say, exhibited au
honourable exception, but others were altogether intolerable,
and how could it be otherwise when paupers were taken in,
and but an inadequate pittance paid for their support.—
( Hear, hear.) If such were the case, it was but a
necessary consequence that they should not be allowed
more than a mere subsistence. He would now refer to the
borough of Tynemouth, and read to the House an extract
from the report made relative to the condition of the paupers
there. The Noble Lord then referred to the case of
a Mary Jones, in proof of the dreadful state
of filth and wretchedness of the lunatics there.
With respect to the amendments he proposed to introduce he
would briefly refer to them. He would propose to convert the
Aet from a voluntary into a compulsory one, and that every
country w here no asylum at present existed should be obliged
to provide one. He would assimilate the practice to the
system which existed in France with regardtothese unfortunate
creatures. In that country there was no district which had not its
asylum. Counties where an asylum at present existed should
unite with those where there was none. The fieneral rules for
the regulation of the asylum should be submitted to the
Secretary of State for his approval ; and all lunatics, not
living in the house, should be periodically visited.
The Noble Lord then referred to the regulations
which related to the pauper lunatics, and proceeded
to comment on the other provisions of his Bill. no
Noble Lord proceeded to cite a number of returns, to
show that the existing asylums were wholly inefficient to ac-
commodate the patients of the country, and the consequence
was, be said, that many hundreds of lunatics became
incurable, who would have been easily recovered had
they been properly treated in the first instance. He also
quoted the opinion of Dr. Winslow, to show chat in nine
cases out of ten lunatics were easily recovered if
they were subjected to proper treatment three
months after the appearance of the disorder,
He knew this was an exceedingly dry and uninteresting sub
ject, but he would not detain the House very long with them—
he would merely give a few details. The Asylum at Haswell
bad cost 156,000/., or at the rate of 1601. per
head, for every patient it contained. The Surrey
Asylum cost €5,0001., or, at a cost per head equally
large, and so on with the others. Now, it was his erinion,
and that of his colleagues, that they could substantiate the case
he would lay before the House upon this question.
After a t'sv further observations the Noble Lord concluded
by moving for leave to bring in the Bill.
Sir J. GRAHAM seconded the motion, and was
(LEFT SPEAKING.)