Star.
London, England, 1824-08-20 00:00:00

REPORT ON THE GENERAL PENITINTIARI
AT MILBANK.

ALSILANDER COPLAND HUTCHISON, M.D. examined.
How Ling were you principal medical superintendent
to the Penitentiary ?—Seven years, very neatly.
Commencing from what..period, and ending when ?
The date of my appointment is the 7th of Nlay, 1[316;
the date of my removal, the 19th of April, 1828.
During that period, what were the prevailing diseases
amongst the privinets?-1 should say, visceral
com-
Oakum, rbewroation,.serophula, consumption, and oc-
casinhally a case of common fever.
Had you many cliel of t one m ption?—A good many.
Can you specify from the 'commencement, taking
year by year, What were the prevailing diseases for
each year think I can best answer that que.tion,
by stating, that the diseases that prevailed generally in
the Institution, appeared to me-to be such as we meet
with in cOmMon life, with this difference, that pen haps
there were more cases of scrophula and of consumption,
according to the proportion of persons in that prison,
than there are, according to the like proportion of in-
dividuals in any other situation.
Have you any detailed account that you can give the
Committee of the state of the disease in any given yeah ?
I beg to rein to my reports, which were made monthly
and annually to the Committee of the Penitentiary :
one of those (which was printed by order of the Com-
mittee of last year), is the annual report for 1822; the
report for 1821 I hold in, my hand,which, with the per-1
mission of this Committee, I will read. It is signed by I
myself and Mr. Pratt, the only two medical ofhcers of
the establishment at that time.

[The sante was read, as Midas :1
" Report by the Medical Officers of the Establishment of the
General Penitentiary, on the health of the Prisoners generally,
for the year 1821.
" General Penitentiary, 6th January, 182 E.
U GENTLEMEN—We have performed the monthly',
examination of the prisoners, and their cells, as pre-i
scribed by our instructions, and have no particular re-11
mark to make upon either, health and cleanliness pre-
vailing throughout.
4, In the Infirmary; two deaths have occurred during
the month of December, namely, Jane Hawkins, of
consumption, and Thomas Day, of dropsy ; otherwise,
the number of admissions from the pentagons have, in
proportion to the total number of convicts, been fewer
than usual during this pet iod of the year. We have also 11
to report the dangerous state of two patients new in tne
Infirmat y, a male and female, of whose recovery we
entettain very little expectation; the.former labouring
under dysentery, and the latter general inasarca.
4' At the commencement of the year, we beg to be
. permitted to make a few observations .on the state of
health generally of 'the convicts foi- the past year, and
on the subject of the medical department) over which
we preside.
~ By a reference to our monthly reports, it Will be
seen, that there have died in the year 1821, eight males
and nine females, making seventeen in all, which, ac-
cording to the convict population of the establishment,
makes about one death in forty ; a degree of health not
surpassed in the most salubrious town or village in the
empire; for, according to the Swedish tables of mor-
tality, the deaths are calculated at one in thlrty•seven
of the total population ; and although every reasonable
allowance be made for the deaths in early infancy and
in extreme old age, both which we are, it is true, here
exempt from, yet when we take into consideration the
introduction of vaccination since these tables were
drawn up, and the fact that we have a great many
broken down constitutions to contend with from pre-
vious intemperate habits, there is much reason to esti-
mate highly the degree of health enjoyed by the pri-
soners in this Institution.. _

" From the Ist January; MI, to the 31st December
inclusive, there have passed through the Infirmary six
hundred and seVenty-tour cases, male and female, be-
sides an average of about eighteen who mere prescribed
for and visited daily in the different pentagons, but
whose ailments did not appear to require removal to
the Infirmary, as they continued to be employed at
their different occupations. The prevailing diseases
during the year have been, fever, scrophula, visceral
complaints, rheumatism, and pulmonary affections, and
one case of ague, being the first that has occurred since
the opening of the establishment. There was also a case
of natural small-Fox, which, however, was prevented
extending to such as had not before had that disease,
by immediately vaccinating them all.
" We deem it our duty likewise to repuft to the
Committee the good conduct, care, and attention evinced
by all the officers connected with the sick department ;
and we have the honour to subscribe ourselves,
" Gentlemen,
" Your very obedient and very humble servants,
" A. COPLAND HUTCHISON, M.D.
" Medical Supetinteondant.
" J. PUATT, Surgeon.
_ -

- -
" To the Honourable the Committee of
the General Penitentiary."
From the Evidence of Mr. ANTHONY WHITE.

Can you give the Committee any information as to
the cases that died in the hospital of dysentery ?—I
have collected from Mr. Pratt's account, his diary ac-
count of diseases, people. who were attacked from their
first enuring into the priion.
In the whole six ?-1 believe I have but five. The
first person whose name I marked down, is E—;
she was received into the Penitentiary on June the 7th,
1820; there is no remark made with respect to the
fiat commencement of her disease; but the general
rematk, is, that she was troubled with or piles,
and irritable bowels, and she died, having diarrhoea, on
the 13th of May, 1822, having been altogether two
years and a little more in prison.
Do you know what time she passed in the hospital at
that period ?—That circumstance is not particorirly
marked in Mr. Pratt's. journal ; this woman, Aft. Pratt
remarks. confession, atter she came into the
liclritn. extremely dissolute life; she had
drank.great quantities *of'Spii its, and been a most po-
ll, gate woman in the full sense of the word. The next
case 1 have marked is that of she wai received
into the Penitentiary on the 10th of Aptil, 1819, and
ill July of that year, the 27th of July, she was first
attacked with disease, the disease of diarrhoea, and from
that time up to the 21st of May, 1622, she was fie.
quently in.the y with.the same complaint ; but
it was discovered, that accompanying. this diarrhoea,
this Woman, who had also been a hard drinker, previous
to her coming in, had a schirious affection of the liver;
she was there altogether three years and two months.
The next name is P ; she was teceivei into the
Penitentiary on the 15th st May, 1S20; she was two
year s confined, and on June. the fith, 1822, she was at-
t.icked with diarrhoea, and died iu-the same month, on