The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-27
now THE TNsiNE .fRE TREtTrD ~
ENGLAND

FOR some tlm' Parliamentary cOrmis.
sion has been examining the management. -
insane asylums. it, lalors arc not w., .o.r.
plctcd. but from the mass Of cvidcnr, real.
submitted we obtain some int resting fr's
According 20 Lord Shafto-bury. who .rr,.
sided for many years over the Ccntn f,.fl
charged with the duty of supervision . mi.
department. the existing legislation ~. rnsto
insane persons docs not admit of mu % ion.
rrovcmont There IT, no doubt. acurr .fim.
preston that perfectly -anc persons areo,,a.
sionnlly committed 10 madhouscs. iIi tlIs
Lord ShNfcshury pronouneos totally nr fruul.
cd except IN the cnse Of certain crimiu,ls 10.
quilted on the prctext " mental nlicnnf H. ~
afirms that the admission Of n patient ~ n4y.
lums public or private. Is now surrouH l.dhy
20 many difficulties and guarantees that % isuai
easy to cite single Instance whore incarrcra.
tion WINS not abundanty justified. Tho mis-.
taken notions on this subject are due he thinks
to the fact that all insane persons decarr them.
selves the victims Of conspiracy. this hal urina.
ton. indeed. being one ofthc earliest SYMPTOMS
OF cerebral arrangement. on very MAN occa.
sions the Central Board had been movn 90 In
Tiry by complaints of this nature. hut thr most
minute invest igations had shown the chprsctr
be entirely basel ~.
II was proved before the commission tNai cor.
poral punshmcnts have been done awf, with
with the exception Of the dourhc and u" strait.
Jacket. to which rccour-c is sometime had In
the case ~ violent mnniacs. II Rppoi Is TINT
such mild penalties as the deprivation OF t,hacco
and other indulgcnccs are usually SUR rn, e
insure discipline. As n rule. the i'm ne nre
well fed and kindly treated. Tho sanitary ar
rangcments are excellent and care il taken T.
provide all the amusemcni- possible. Moreover
the actual regulations allow patients tos their
friends. Formerly such visits were discouraged
I,f. ltttft
are now held by the ighcst medical authorities
to exert favorable influence. II uscl 70 he
said also. that the letters of patients wer" inter-
ccptcd but we are assured by Lord Shn'irshury
aand he is in position To speak from knowl-
cdgc-tha, nothing Of the kind at present exists
all letters being forwarded or delivered without
inspection or delay.
The fact is. the system Of official Surveillance
in England is 80 elaborate and thorough that
the confinement Of sane person In u ma9.
house, after the manner portrayed b, tnpr.ss
Readc in some Of his novels. has bccono nm cx-
trcmely dangerous and wcll-ngh impru uoai}s
undertaking. Mr.. Perrrva tho secretary -
the Central Board. described in his testimony
the guarantees cxacted md the formalf' PRE-
scribed for the admission Of an individual -
any establishment whether public or uriva-a.
The application must be made month in al
vance. must come from n relative who las livo1
in the same house with the alleged lura;r. AM
must be accompanied with two cert 'lra'-4
signed by physicians who have received To
degree Of doctor in medicine. Each ~ thc-i
physicians must separately examine the pa
tient. set forth the specific facts ali oi-eryl-
tons on which his judgment Is based. aud must
likewise affirm the arrangement 10 be- ~ a kll
that requires confinement. These ccri lilrat,s
are vaueless unless presented within one week
after their date. The person signing the ap-
plication is liable at any moment to an action
for damages. while the doctors are Fined and
imprisoned IL the certificates prove upon n
quiry To be i'll ground 1t. We may aid that
they are not allowed to plead professional good
faith. lnasmuch as application and certificates
must In every instance be Forwarded to tho
Central Board. who may make an OIL 'ia in
quiry the condition Of approval. Mr.. iercoval
thought that all requisite guarantees Of per-
sonal liberty had been provided by IN" visiting
laws.
On ono or two points however there was con-
siderable controversy. II was. signn 5,'d. for
instance. rs a grave defect in the law that 1t ia
made nobody's duty to learn whether tn signer
/ Of the application for the confinement, 81 pa
/ ticnt is the nearest relative. 1t was claimed.
moreover. that the drawing up of Ger l9tes
could not safely be intrustrd to genera prac-
ttioners, hut should be- committed to l.rlel
alienisis Of established authority. ~ way (
meeting these objections. Lord Shat shlry
showed that out Of 10000 certificates trlnsm4t-
ted to the Central Board since 1859. scar1'yt-a
/ had proved erroneous upon inquiry. Ney.r-
thelcss. the Parliamentary commission prefer
to err on the side of prccaution. and. ihoU<h
their report hus not been completed. tliry have
made It clear that hereafter they will exact iAs
signature Of magistrate rs a condition prcte-
dent to confinement In n mndhouse.
Is tina lspaGta M n1aptu1 ALIENATION IL. w
in England? There is no doubt that the Stats
ties relating to the subject present at first 'gkt
n discouraging appearance. II appear that "a
| 1855 the number Of persons confined Ia insane
asylums was about 10000, while 1t had risen n
1870 TO nearly $4,000. showing gain in sevcn-
teen years of more than one hundred per cent.
But according 10 Lord Shaftcsbury. no dr'siys
conclusion can be based upon these data. be-
cause during tho period named "A minority 4
the large county establishments were opened
for the first time. No sooner was one 4 thrss
institutions ready than il was filled with "a
ticnts. forthe most part Of the incurablc ,nrw vic
had previously been cared for by their r' 'ttites
In private houses. Nevertheless IL is thr opinion
Of the commission that the whole evdcr.r sub.
mitted indicates n slighttendency To- an increase
IN the number Of insane persons in n" United
Kingdom.
Among other facts brought out in this iuyesii-
CATION We may mention the remarkai "N'"ai
of the suicidal mania. Dr. WILKES. u }-i Ian
To the Central Board. testified that in t.' -
lish asyums there are moro than -iN Il. .u-a,i
patients afflicted with this form Of M i'-
rangemont. and who, hni for the o. ,-al'
watchfulnoss oftheir attendants. voul -'r
themselves. Of BrlalmN Do whore r'g
T of the criminal luuatics arn' lnlinnl, SO. .i'f. q
that The food better ami thn nriiun n,
conducive to comfort thnu In an, hosp of--a