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Wellington Mental Hospital. 23rd February, 1907.—1 inspected this Hospital on the 22nd and 23rd February. Mrs. Neill paid an official visit on the Ist November. The present report will deal with the intervening period. The following table gives the changes in the population : — Males. Females. Total. Resident in the Hospital on Ist November, 1906 .. .. 149 105 254 Absent on probation on Ist November, 1906 .. .. 4 6 10 On register on Ist November, 1906 .. .. .. 153 111 264 Admitted since Ist November, 1906 .. .. .. 23 14 37 Total number under care since Ist November, 1906 .. 176 125 301 Males. Females. Total. Discharged recovered.. .. ..5 7 12 Discharged unrecovered .. .. 1 0 1 Died .. .. .. ..3 3 6 Total discharged and died — — — 9 10 19 On register on 22nd February, 1907 .. .. ..167 115 282 Absent on probation on 22nd February, 1907 .. .. 5 9 14 Resident in Hospital on 22nd February,U9o7 .. .. 162 106 268 Accommodation for .. .. .. . . 139 88 227 Number of patients in excess of accommodation .. .. 23 18 41 It will be seen that in a comparatively short time there has been an increase of 18 patients on the numbers on the register and of 14 on the numbers resident. One anticipates that a fair proportion of the patients admitted to probation will be discharged, but were they to return to-day the numbers would be 282. In 1903 the numbers rose to 301, when 50 patients were transferred to Porirua and a check placed on admissions to some extent, but the number at Porirua caught up to the accommodation there and thus reacted on Mount View, and now another exodus is necessary pending additions at Porirua. Since the Ist November 3 nurses and 3 attendants left the service, and their places were filled. There were no dismissals. The nursing staff consists of 14 nurses and 19 attendants. This computation does not include officers, nor artisans, &c, whose chief work is not that of attendance on patients. There have been in the service for five years and upwards 143 per cent, of nurses and 10-5 per cent, of attendants. The following table gives the ratio of the whole nursing staff and of the actual staff on duty to patients resident. Theoretical Actual Ratio after Ratio. deducting Holidays. Day attendants .. .. .. .. .. Ito 9-5 1 to, 12-4 Night attendants .. .. . . .. . . Ito 81*0 Ito 81*0 Day nurses .. .. .. . • • .. Ito 8-8 Ito 11*6 Night nurses .. .. ... • • .. Ito 53*0 Ito 53-0 The following are the percentage of patients requiring special attention for the reasons assigned : — Per Cent. Males. Females. Total. Liable to be wet or dirty .. .. .. .. 37*0 .39*6 38-0 Returned as being wet or dirty . . .. .. 14-8 19-8 16-7 Epileptics 4-3 13-2 7-8 Probably suicidal .. .. • • .. 6-1 4-7 5*6 Actively suicidal .. .. .. • ■ 3*7 4*7 4*l General paralytics .. .. .. .. 3*l 0-9 2*2 The percentage under the second heading is unduly high. Happily the health of the establishment is good, and therefore the physically sick do not greatly add to the work. To-day there are 6 (men, 3 ; women, 3) confined to bed for complaints having no relation to institutional life. The register of'mechanical restraint has entries referring to 2 men and 1 woman. In the case of one man the record is intermittent, averaging hours a day over periods of one, sixteen, and six days, the restraint being used to prevent the removal of surgical dressings. In the case of the other man restraint was employed on four occasions (once for seven hours and thrice for 12$ hours) to prevent self-injury. For the same reason the woman was restrained for five days for a fraction over an average of six hours a day. These were by no means the only markedly troublesome patients, and I satisfied myself that in their case there were exceptional circumstances calling for exceptional treatment. Between the visits 2 men escaped from working parties and were soon recaptured. The record does not call for any special comment. The smallness of the area of the Mount View estate available for farming is a drawback to this Hospital, both from an economic standpoint and by limiting the scope of agricultural pursuits suitable for male patients. Nevertheless, work is found on the farm and in the garden for a percentage which holds its own with that of other mental hospitals. The following is a return of the patient's employments at this date : —