The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-07-31
God help tho Insane.

God help tho 1nsane'
Nav well be the merciful mans dali,
PRAYER, at all tines-but we are living il
period of comparative regeneration oil
that subject. 1t may be instructive,how
ever, as it certainly is most interesting
to look back to only so recent perioc
as fifty years ago, and sec how the insane
were treated in civilized England. DIR
Conolly has lately published a work il
London, on the Treatment Of the insane
in which he says -
ut would almost seem rs IL at the pc
riod from the middle to near the end o'
the last century, the supcrintendents OF
the insane had become frantic themselves
in the capricious exercise Of their uncon'
trolled discretion.
"Among other freaks which they per.
pctratcd, their lunatic patients, being sup.
posed to bc under the influence Of the
moon, were bound, chained, aud even
tloged at particular periods Of the moons
age, to prevent the accession Of fits and
violence. They were thus lashcd and
tortucd into madness from which it was
sought to protect them. Baths Of sur.
prise rs they were termed, were provi'
ded into Which The patient wis s,dchn
projected through a kind Of oublietH.-
In some continental asylums tho patien+'
were chained in a well, and the water
was allowed gradually to ascend, in order
to terrify the patient with the prospect OF
inevitable death. The safe and etfcctual
remedy ofthe circulating sriny was an
invention by means Of which the mania
cal or lnclancholic patient, fast bound on
a sort of a couch, or in chair, was 70.
tatcd at various rates up to one hundred
pyrations in a minute. This machine
was used for two purposes, tho horizontal
position being adopted when the object
was to produce sleep, aud the erect
posture to produce the intestinal action.
Whatever its efficiency in these respects,
was acknowledged that patients once sub.
jectedto the swing were Afterwards tern.
fed at the mention Of it that it lowered
the pulse and temperature to such do
gree as to alarm the physician; that it
occasioned 'lisagreeablc sufusion Of the
countenauce'fre9uently leaving an 'ccchy-
mosis of the countenancc that it act
cd Us an cmctic and as a hypercathartic
but still il was lauded as reducing the un.
manageable, and-stranger still-as ca,ls.
ing the melancholy to take a natural in.
tercst in the affairs Of life 1t found,
says DR.. Connolly, some temporary favor
on the continent; but the violent action
produced by its employment, followed by
fainting and excessive debility, led to its
disusc.
"The state Of bcthlemhem Hospital
was described to committee ofthe house
of commons. Women chained by the
hands or legs to wall, without shoes OF
stockings, covered only by sort OF blan'
ket-gown, and with nothing to fastcn this
drapery round the body, and men hand.
cuffed and locked to the wall in q room
which had tho appearance OF q dog,
kennel were among the sights spoken Of
by the witness. Those who were not
cieanly, and all who were disciplined tc
got up, were allowed to lie in bed, in wha,
state may be imagined; and in one cell
was found patient whose treatment wa,
so extraordinary, that representation o
his condition is preserved in plate pub.
lishcd by Esquirol.
This patients name was Norris. dc
had been powerful and violent man
Having on one occasion resented what
he considered some improper treatment
by his keeper, he was fastened by long
chain, which was ingcniously passed thro'
a wall into the next room, where the vic.
torious keeper, out Of the patients reach,
could drag the unfortunate man close to
the wall whenever he pleased. 10 pre-
vent this sort Of outrage, poor Norris
mufflcd the chain with straw; but the
savage inclinations Of the keeper were
either checked by no experimenting eye,
or the officers Of the asylum partook o,
his cruelty and his fears, for now new
and refined torture for the patient was in.
vented, in the shape Of an ingenious ap'
paratus of iron. A stout ring Of iror
was riveted round his neck, from which
short chain passed to ring made tc
slide upwards or downwards on an up
right massive iron bar, more than six fee
high, inserted into the wall. Round hi
body a strong iron bar, about two iuche
wide, was riveted; on each eide Of tn
bar was . circular projection which, be
ing fastened TO, and enclosing each Of hi
arms, pinioned them close to his aides.
The effect Of this apparatus was tha
| the patient could indeed raise himself ul
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