Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-04-04
GQlmtester 4allp SPY.
HOW THEY MANAGE THE LUNATIcs AT
GHEEL.
From tho Knlckerbocker Magazine.

werpt, brussels, and Ghent every year, yet we
venture 10 say, That III the past fifteen years
not dozen nave visited the little city OF Gheel,
only twenty-five miles from Antwerp, and but
Twelve from Iurnhout an important station on
the route from Brussels to Cologne; yet, 10
one who regards the study of man, i'll all his
relations to life, as OF more Importance than
the merits OF laces, paintings, Or buildings,
Gheel offers more OF interest than either OF the
DelSlan cities we nave named.
Gheel, like many other OF the Belgian towns
mas Its legend OF It's carly origin, ana us lnlS
legend is more interesting than most oil It's
class, and has unquestionably a thin substratum
of fact, bearing directly upon the connection OF
the town with the treatment OF the INSANE
VIII give it briefly. In the siXth century ol
the Christian era, Dympha' the uau9i!tei Vi ah
Irish king, became convert 10 chrIstlah u
through the efforts OF an ahehoriIG halileu ger
bert, or Gereoert Eer iati,Gr, nes'nen' WHO
had for sometiihe iooheu WIN y Is upon
- his beautiful daughter, was sreauy ehragtd at
her conversion anu ullc"teileu her an thG
priest WIN MS vengeance unlesS sue aoJGred
"iie ielCet ~ ms 1e1'"iius Inc
.leroic eiil, p.eielIins eAiie anu eeath 70 apes
.acy anu c'iuie' e'iioarNeu win Uefoert 'or the
continent, anu tue TWO louhu lilelr way TO
Eheel here Dympna entered upon a con-
Vehtual NE, wiilie Ueroerc eStaoiisheu mon
as1ary uut 'iie Ieat"eh laiher was not 10 De
t"us o'iNeu Vi MS prey ne loiio"eu theh,
to their new home, and renewing his demands,
wiicn were us sieaouasuy refused as before,
tho baaTs of ho;h C.rI,n,t oY,d - aa,1aI, w
Amopg the Witnesses of tL;s n,,rd,,r ,rora
eome IEnat,cs who bv tho friabt ,yora ros,',raJ
~ go. o,,,I ~ ,ie,' ',,,.,' e;J
o,,t "a ,narI n ,,,;,,ia ~ ond ,r,,oi,,,,,d
throughont the adjacent ,.onntrv thar Cod had
Vlndlcated the purity and devotion OF the
Christian virgin by thus causing her death to
the means OF restoring reason TO the uhfortu-
nate. what became OF the wicked old father
the legend satin not but Dy mpna was speed
NY cahonlzed, anu as SAINT anu virgin, Her
Dody ana that OF the priest had honorable
burial, their tomb being changed into white
stone-the rocks OF the commune are OF dark
coor-to indicate their purity. The miracle
which had attended the death Of St Dympna
was often repeated, says the legend upon the
insane who visited her tomb, and ere long the
demented who had wealthy friends We're
brought here, in very considerable numbers,
to enjoy the benefit of her inercession on be-
half OF those who had lost their wits.
On St Dympna day, which Is about the
time OF the least OF Pentlcost, was told that
thousands OF people from neighborlng COM
munes flock into Gheel, and pay their homage
to the shrine OF the saint, many OF them pass
ing on their knees under her tomb as pre-
ventative of insanity. So much for the legend
OF Gheel and the churchs treatment of its
lunatlcs.
For several centuries the number of the in
sane resident in the commune has ranued from
five hundred to one Thousand persons AT
first. and indeed for several hundred wears
they came to take advantage of the interres
sion of the saint hut nc hnt faw couId nnrf,rn,
a nn,,,ojno n + the some tima and nc mnreovnr
thew boarded in the families of the commune
and often sought to lipbten their exnnnses NV
enCauinr in 9gricultnroI or other labor l.,
many instances this wnnld load IN thnir rocov.
erv' which thongh attained witIont tho core
monv was consiIereJ as d~o ~ tha ;ntorrnsi
tion If ST Dvmnna . and otbors sin1iiarlt az
ficted were bronoht 70 thn Mace Inv ibeir
friends in the hone tbat tbev aISo ntiabt ha
benefited GraduaIIv ahusos Grew mn Teo,,ir-
inp judicial redress and thougH the naonLa.ro
in disposition and habits admirahlv adantod ~
deal successfullv viii the insane vef soma
regulations have been fonnd NECESSARY and
these heino enacted hv the rovermnanf form
the code nv which the relations of tho ;psora
with the other inbabitants are ,,overnnd tThis
code is simple. easily comnrehended and
ADAPTED by its iustneSs and fairness to work
benefciaIlv for both narties
The entire commune of Ghenl ;e divido5 into
four sections and n nhvsirian is arnointnd f,,,
each, who has charge of the treatment mndi
cal and general. of the lunatics in his section
making frequent rpnorts IN the medical insner
tor or head physician Of the commune whnsa
mower over the insane and thn tam;I;os VIZ
receive them is almost absolute rTlis madi,
cal insnpctor NAV enter at anv time of dav or
night and withont notice onv d,ynll;nr IL, tho
oo,,3 ,ho, tI ~ u" IA :iio
their rooms hoddin, onJ f,,i ~ p