NELSON LUNATIC ASYLUM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 202, 24 September 1878, Page 4

NELSON LUNATIC ASYLUM.

The following is Dr Skae's report on this institution; —

The number of inmates on the let January was 46. During the year 15 were admitted. 6 were discharged recovered, 1 relieved, and 4 di«d \ so that at the end of ihe year SO were left, of whom 32 wera males and 18 females. The Asylum has accommodntion for 30 of each sex ; the male side was therefore full, and there waa room for 12 more women. The following is the greater part of the entry made in 4he Inspector's book regarding the state of the AsyJnm when visited on the 25th March lost j—

The wards and betiding are very clean and in excellent order ; but the house is very scantily furnished, and presents a remarkably bare appeavßUce, There is bo furniture at all in the long wide corridors which are meant to serve as doy-rooms, and there are merely tables and uncomfortable benches in the sitting rooms.

The wards have not yet been either painted, papered, or varnished, and, beyond a very few unframed coloured prints which have heen stuck on to the the day-room walls, they contain nothing of on ornamental character. It is very desirable that the walls should now be either varnished or painted in a tastefal manner. Repuiehion should be made for pictures and other ornaments, window - curtains, valsncee, small tables, ordinary and easy chairs, and staffed benches with backs to them, &c, so 68 to make the wards comfortable and relieve their present doll Bnd uninteresting appearance. The curious wire beds complained of in laat report have now all been removed, and neat iron onee have been got instead. Most of the old worn-out blankets formerly spoken of have been replaced by new ones. Sheets have not yet been supplied to the male side, owing chiefly to the hitherto small staff o»" servants not being able to Undertake any additional washing.

Hardly any of the bedroom windows Bre made to be opened, and they are all furnished with iron bars on the inside end have no shutters. These windows are very dangerous for melancholic patients, and tbe perforated zinc panes vhich are placed in them admit of very imperfect ventilation.

The water supply is very deficient. It is got from the town waterworks, but ihe pressure is 80 feeble that the •water does not run at all till about 9 o'clock at eight, wben Ihere is leßs being used in town. Great inconvenience arises from this, as all water required for baths, lavatories, aud the washing-house baa to be carried in from tacks at the rear of the building. In the event of n fire breaking out the hydranfs and hose which have been carefully provided would be of little use, because, even after 9 o'clock, the pressure is 100 weak to throw water over the building. It is understood that extensions of the city reservoir are contemplated, which, if made, would secure an abundant flow at the Asylum. It would be deeirable to ascertain if there be really any prospect of such alterations being made. If not, steps should be taken without delay to get sufficient water from some other source. There is a stream at some littie distance on the other side of the road, at the back of the Asylum, which might be available for this purpose. From a rough estimate which Mr Heffer, the Superintendent of the ABylum, obtained, it appears that for about £300 this stream could be dammed and water laid on to the Asylum. No airing-ground haß yet been made for the women. It would be & very simple matter to enclose for tbia purpose the piece of ground lying between the boundary fence and the female side of the honße. 1$ is recommended that a requisition should be sent in for the necessary material. The male airing-grouDd would be much improved by being laid out as an ornamental garden with walks, flowerbeds, and shrubs in it. This would not in the least interfere with its being -need as en exercise ground for the patients, but, on the contrary, would render it much more suitable for that purpose. Much attention is paid to the cultivation of the garden, which contains a great abundance and variety of vegetables. A book which is kept shows fhßi the patients are very well ■applied ; and surplus produce is at preßent being sold in town. An orchard has been planted. Other portions of ground immediately in front of the Asylum are now being prepared by the labour of the patients to be laid down in grass. Thirteen of the men work iu the garden and evidently work very well. This is a much larger number than were found employed in the last inspection ; but it is still email considering the number of patients. No occupation is so good for the men as working steadily in the grounds, and every one of them capable of engaging in this, in however small a degree, should be studiously encouraged to do so. Twenty of the men take walks beyond the Asylum boundary once a week, and, since an additional female attendant has been got, 10 of the women have enjoyed the same beneficial advantage. Twenty men and 8 women are registered bb unemployed ; several of these are idiots of a very degraded type, or so completely demented and helpless that they could not under any circumstances be got to engage in work of any kind. There ie a dance regularly every week for the amusepeoS of tbe patients ; about 20 of the

men and 10 of the women partake in it, and some 30 visitors are generally present and help to make it go off well, No religious services are performed at the Asylum. It does not appear from the Medical Journal that seclusion or restraint are much resorted to : one woman who is extremely destructive to clothing occasionally wears a strong dress, the long sleeves of which are crossed in front and fastened behind, ao tbat ehe cannot use her hands; and a feeble male patient, in an advanced stage of general paralysis, and whom it is found very difficult to keep clean, occupies a kind of night-stool as a chair, on to which he is loosely fastened by a strap round his waist.

The male patients were seen at dinner, which was abundant, and, saving the potatoes, which were hardly quite ripe, of good quality and well served. Thpy are now supplied, like the women, with ordinary knives and fords, and they are about to get tablecloths also.

Attention iB again drawn to the extremely small quantity of land attached to ihis Asylum for the recreation and employment of the inmates. It has only 8 acres, aud there is not as much grass as would feed a goat.