THE MOUNT VIEW ASYLUM.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4535, 2 October 1875, Page 2

THE MOUNT VIEW ASYLUM.

The following report on the "Wellington Lunatic Asylum, by Mr. W. T. L. Travers, has been presented to both Houses of the General Assembly:— Wellington, Aug. 23, 1875. As Inspector of the Mount View Lunatic Asylum here, I have the honor to report to you as follows: — I beg, in the first place, to call your attention to the statements contained in my report of 28th January, 1874, with respect to the buildings, and to add that no alteration has been made in them since that date, although daily experience has proved that the opinion which I then expressed, as to their defects in design and erection, was perfectly just. As patent instances of such defects, X may mention the following:— 1. No proper means exist for keeping the male and female patients separated. •2. No means exist for classifying the patients, a matter of very great importance to their general comfort, and of essential consequence to the discipline of the establishment. 3. With the exception of two front apai’tments, with corridors adjoining, which are usually occupied by the quieter aud more cleanly patients of each sex, the day accommodation is wretchedly bad, large numbers of patients, including many prone to violence, being necessarily kept in very small rooms, designed merely for out-offices. 4. The dormitories are unavoidably crowded, a matter especially hurtful aud inconvenient. 5. The yards, in which those who cannot be trusted in the uninclosed grounds take their exercise, are cold and damp. 6. No accommodation exists for the laundry and other work connected with the clothing of the patients, a great part of which has to be done in the day-room occupied by the quiet females, causing unnecessary inconvenience to the attendants, and interfering much with the limited comfort of the patients. 7. The heating apparatus, though constructed at great cost, is absolutely useless for the purpose. 8. No proper provision has been made for ventilation. 9. No means of communication from one part of the buildings to another, by signal, exists, the consequence of which is that single attendants are unable to summon assistance when attacked by violent patients, and often suffer a good deal of injury for want of such assistance. I merely cite these as among the more obvious instances of defects in construction and arrangement, whilst the fact that the buildings wore originally intended to accommodate fifty patients only, aud now contain sixty-three, with a necessarily increased attendance, makes these and other defects more apparent. The institution is still under the charge of Mr. H. F. Seager as keeper, aud of Mrs. Seager as matron, who are both most diligent in the discharge of their duties. The attendants are reported to be generally careful and attentive. Apart from the special disease, the general health of the patients is good ; and every attention is paid (so far as the nature of the buildings permits) to their comfort aud convenience, the rational patients making no complaint whatsoever of the treatment they receive. There are no oases of permanent restraint. The total number of patients admitted to the Wellington Lunatic Asylum from Ist January, 1854, to 30th June, 1875, has been 116, of whom CO still remain, 56 having been either discharged or died ; but I have no table showing the proportion of discharges to deaths. Since the 30th June, 1875, 3 male patients have been admitted, making the total number at present in the Asylum 63. Of the 63 now in the Asylum, 35 are males and 28 females. Of the males, 31 are considered incurable, 2 as questionably curable, and 2 as doubtfully insane. Of the two doubtfully insane, one is a convict transferred from prison at Taranaki to the Lunatic Asylum here, and believed to be a malingerer, and the other is Captain McGrath, whose wife is a female patient. (if the females, 25 are considered incurable, aud 3 as questionably curable. Of the total number of 63, 54 are from the province of Wellington, 2 from Marlborough, 1 from Napier, and 6 from Taranaki ; total, 63. Between the 31st December, 1873, and 30th June, 1875, the deaths have been 5 males and 2 females ; total, 7. The phases of disease are principally—l epilepsy, 2 chronic and intermittent mania, 3 dementia ; 4 congenital idiotcy, of which there are two cases.

As regards out-door work, a considerable extent of laud is under cultivation, and large

quantities of vegetables are raised for the use of the institution.

At my suggestion, cows have been provided, by which a considerable saving has been effected, and the milk supplied for the use of the patients is of better quality than, could otherwise be obtained.

I suggested that a pair of horses and a roomy open carriage should be supplied for the purpose of affording recreation to the patients, but this suggestion has not yet been complied with. I believe that a large saving in the ordinary expenditure of the institution might be effected by procuring clothing, &c., from London direct, not merely by reason of difference in price, but also in the quality of the articles. The orders for admission have been generally regular; but I would call especial attention to the necessity of amending the law, by requiring that each order for admission should be accompanied by as complete a history of the case as possible. Under the present system, patients are thrown Into the Asylum without any such history, and the officers are left to discover the particular phase of disease in each case, a course which naturally increases the difficulty of treatment.

A careful examination of the records of the institution satisfies me that the great majority of the patients admitted are incurable, and, therefore, that, in the construction and arrangement of buildings for the keeping and maintenance of the insane, attention should chiefly be directed to the means of classifying the patients with a view to securing to them as much bodily comfort as is consistent with their several conditions.

I wish to bear testimony to the care and attention given to the patients by Dr. France, the Medical Officer of the Asylum, their bodily health being indeed the best index of that care and attention. I append to this report some tables prepared for me by the keeper, which may be found useful for statistical purposes. I do not give any detailed account of the number of visits I have paid or of the number of miles I have travelled since my last report, believing that what I have stated above embodies all that is important in connection with my inspections.—l am, &c. Wm. Thos. Locke Traveks. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington.