LUNATIC ASYLUMS.

Press, Volume XL, Issue 5859, 24 June 1884, Page 3

LUNATIC ASYLUMS.

[By Tblkgbaph/]

[FROM OUB COBBXSPONJDTOT.I M WELLINGTON, June 23. fl The report of Dγ Grabham«fldft the lunatic asylums of the colony was pregj sented to Parliament to-day, and as usuqgj contains a good deal of suggestive and inj teresting reading. It appears that on th* I 31st December last the number of lunatam under treatment was 1375—892 males ana 483 females. An increase ie here show upon the number of the previous year & 106 persons, viz, 75 males and 31 femalg| The additional patients have been taft accommodated —At Auckland, 17; at A*-. burn Hall, 5; at Christchurch, 30; jet Dunedin and Seacliffe, 13; at HokitikaJS; at Napier, 7; at Nelson, 10 ;|at WellingSto, 18; total 106. On this subject Dr. Orabham makes the following important Remarks : —" The increase is very large, a«d cannot be accounted for by any addifcap which has been made to the the colony during the year. The proportion, of the insane to the population as ehown m my last report was 1 to 413. The esta mated increase of inhabitants, excluding! Maoris, was (vide Registrar-General's rei ports) 23,170 on the 31st of December* 1883. The proportionate increase of insane*] persons should, therefore, be 56, whereas thira number is nearly doubled, and the ratio im now 1t0393. In England and Wales the rati<*l ie 1 to 348, in Victoria 1 to 286, in Ne*| South Wales 1 to to 354, in the United! States (1880), 1 to 545, and in Ontario X| to 652. These two last named calculations! are the more remarkable as they are basedf upon the total number of insane in the country, and not merely upon those undeiS ; care and treatment in asjlums. It -woulqp also appear that in the United States (1880) 44J per cent only of the lunaticffl were in asylums, 45 per cent, at home, ana? 104 per cent, in poorhouses. I cannot held| thinking that New Zealand is not fsirle treated in this matter, a large numbejf being placed in the colonial asylums f roT# economical and other motives rather thaif from urgent mental symptoms, and I hayS also go*d reason to think that sons who have recently been in Englies asylums or bare shown.insane tendencies , are not unrarely shipped to this eolony\ with the view of escaping the burden of \ their maintenance at home. It would ap-1 pear only right that persons of this kind J should be sent back to their own country! and left in the care of their relatives* In fact, such a course has, I believe* been already taken by one of the leading shipping companies to avoid the penaltieel of the Imbecile Passengers Act. As to th»| success of the treatment in the colonial asylums, it appears that the proportion 4f recoveries to admiesiosfl UK» **•?* p# I

cent., which compares very favorably wil last year's return, and also with t3 statistics of other countries. The propo

tion of deaths to admissions was even lower than the exceptionally favorable return of the previous year. Calculated npon the total treated it amounted to 4.91 per cent, and upon the average number resident to 6.21 only. Under section 17 of the Lunatics Act,_ 1882, no less than 137 persona were admitted " pending examination by medical praetitionera." Dr. Grabham renews th« protest made in the last report against this practice. A large number of these patients were never examined by medical practitioners, and nineteen when so examined were found to be " not insane." He adds " there is much Hardship here. The power given to the magistrates or justices leaves room for abuse. In one city the object of these remands is said to be the saving of medical fees. The medical superintendents have assured mc that in several instances these so-called lunatics showed no symptom whatever of insanity, and considerable delay occurred in procuring his or her release. No remand should be permitted without previous examination by two medical practitioners when obtainable." Under the heading of "habitual drunkards," there have been five admission?, and eight altogether under treatment during the year 1882. The expenditure of 1883 amounted to .£43,277 17s lOti. Compared with that of the former year an increase is shown of JE3911 7s 2d. This excess is chiefly due to the larger number of patients treated, but in some measure also to the increased price of provisions and to the improvements made in the wages of the attendants, for whom a uniform scale of payment with progressive increase has been adopted and brought into use. The sum received in repayment for the maintenance of patients and for Asylums' produce sold was J24975 163 Bd. The total cost is thus reduced to .£38,302 Is 2d. In 1882 the sum was .£34,993 Iss 10d. The total c#st per| patient was JE32 2s 4sd, or, less repayments! .£28*78 10} d. The corresponding amount! in the previous year were £29 18s 7£d and £16 6s 9d. Dr. Grabham urges that there is sqppe for a large increase in the ampunt collected by the Superintendents of the* Asylums as maintenance money.