The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1867-09-07 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

SUICIDE IN LONDON.  On Monday evening Mr. Payne, the Deputy. Coroner, held an inquiry at Bethlehem 1-hospital, in London, respecting the suicide of Miss Mary Anne Cornwall. The deceased was a member of a respectable family living at Brighton. She had latterly been subject to a religious mania which terminated in a desire to commit suicide. She alarmed her family by attempting upon several occasions to leap from heights, and they called in two medical gentlemen, who signed a certificate, and she was on the first of June removed to Bethlehem Asylum. Dr. Kempthorn, medical attendant at the asylum, said the deceased had tried to commit suicide while in that institution. She had said, "If you don't kill me or give me arsenic I'll do away with myself." The attendants, therefore, had special orders to watch her. On Thursday he was called to her after she had set herself on tire. She was burnt and charred all down the right side of the body. As the sparks were flying from her burning dress she said, "Let me din; the pain of my body is nothing to the pain of my mind." She showed signs of suicidal tendency just as strong as ever. She died on Friday from shock from burns and mania. She wished to die, and that accelerated her death.  Emily Cousins, nurse of No. 4 ward, said the deceased had once tried to leap from one of she galleries at the asylum. She was always wishing to commit suicide. On Thursday she had to leave her in the care of other patients for eleven minutes and she suddenly heard an alann and saw the deceased enveloped in flames. The witness threw herself upon her and tried to extinguish them. She asked her how she did it, and she said, "By lucifers. I got them from the attendants' room and set fire to My skirt. I have waited for opportunities, and that was the first one I have had." The attendants' room was being scrubbed, and the deceased slipped into it and carried off a box of matches. A juror said it was very incautious to leave the matches there. The witness said that an attendant had removed knives and other dangerous articles from the.. room, but had overlooked the box of match es . .  The coroner wished to know whether persons who had shown a desire to commit suicide by throwing themselves from galleries were allowed to roam about. Was there no restraint used! Dr. Kempthorn said there was no restraint used. It was good for the patients to leave them quite free. The Coroner said that the object of his inquiry was to prevent cases of this kind taking place, for another case of suicide at the same asylum had come before him in which the patient hail while an attendant's room was being scrublvd slipped into it and committed suicide with a knife taken from the house. It would be well to see if such cases could not be prevented. It was stated that there were four attendants to each ward, and if four were not sufficient the law should compel tiventy.four to be employed. The jury could add anything to their verdict they liked. The doctor said the patients were not allowed string, ropes, knives, or matches, and that they were never left alone. The deceased, who slept with two other patients, was visited every hour during the night. She had set herself on the fire at eleven o'clock in the morning. Leaving the matches in the attendant's room was an oversight. The jury returned a verdict, " That the deceased committed suicide by setting horse!. on fire while in a state of unsound mind." It was stated that since the introduction of the modern non-restraint system at Bethlehem Asylum suicide has diminished among the patients by 80 per cent.