THE LUNATIC ASYLUM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9082, 16 June 1888, Page 3

THE LUNATIC ASYLUM.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sie, —Almost ever since the present Medical Superintendent was appointed to the Auckland Lunatic Asylum we have seen, time after time, charges made against him by persons who thought they had reason to grumble when his efforts ab reformation interfered with what they thought their rights. That his efforts have been successful anyone who will compare its present state with what ic was when he came to it can see at a glance. The patients are better fed, better clothed, better lodged, and better attended to, and all this at a less cost. Dr. Cremonini's reputation in medical lunacy circles in England is too high to be affected by, and his position here prevents him from noticing, the attacks of everyone who chooses to snarl at him, but when the cur bites results follow, and the cur retires. I could not refrain from the above thoughts after reading an article in your paper of Wednesday morning, signed F. G. Ewington, an Official Visitor, which can be characterised as nothing less than an insidious attack on the management of the Asylum—the more so, that he uses figures taken from the oflicial reports to base his unfavourable comparison on. But figures may be made to prove anything. I shall only mention one or two points to show my meaning. Ho compares the 18 per cent, of recoveries in Wellington to the seven of Auckland, making no mention of table 13, which shows that while in Auckland there were 25 admissions of persons suffering from incurable mental disorders, such as brain disease, epilepsy, paralysis, senile decay, &c, in Wellington there was not one. Bearing this in mind, it will be seen that the Official Visitor's way of countingtherecoveries onthenumbers under treatment is entirely fallacious. Has it not been asserted often in your columns, and commented on by Mr. Ewington himself in his frequent writings on the subject, that something like eighty or ninety persons are in our lunatic asylum who ought not to be there if the Cliaritable Aid Board had done its duty. These appear to be principally old men and women sent there, not to be cured but to die. Docs not Dr. McGregor himself refer in pointed terms to this characteristic of the Auckland Asylum, denouncing the abuse in the strongest language. How can there be a high percentage of cures or a low percentage of mortality when dying old men and women, are sent tq our Asylum, not to be cured, for they are past that, but only to be kep6 till they die of senile decay ? It is admitted such a state of things exists in no other Asylum. Mr. Ewington says: "It would be extremely edifying to learn how AVel lington effects over 18 pec cent, of recoveries while Auckland effects under 7 percent., and how Wellington loses only 3J pen cent, of lunatics by death, while Auckland loses 72 per cent. 1. The answer ia plain enough, whether it is particularly edifying to him or otherwise. Death is the only cure—the only delivery—expected for such " lunatics " as these j; and then with regard to those who are really lunatic, it would be very easy for Dr. Crernonim to increase the apparent number of the cured if he would only listen to the clamour from without. For is he not constantly scolded for keeping people in who are quite re? covered ? What object can he have in this j Why does he not increase his record of recoveries by releasing all those whom a kind and sympathetic public declare to be cured* For the single reason that he has seen mora of lunacy than all the other medical super intendents of tlie colony taken together and he will neither listen to clamour, no; belie his conscience even for the gain of in creasing the average of so-called recoveries. Then in the face ot retrenchment on every hand he proposes to dismiss the present staff and appoint another, at an increase oi 45 per cent, more pay, of "more expert enced persons." Presumably he means to import them, I should hardly have thought that a, very popular course. Mr. Ewington writes, " Another item of expenditure worthy of notice is 'farm,£7O7 655 d," and lie proceeds to argue on this as showim* all on debit side. Was this disingenuous 1 ov does Mr. Ewington really believe there was no return ut all from the farm ? Did it nob even occur to him that a credit might be found in the low cost of patients' keep ab Auckland as compared with Wellington ; or that the farm might have given at least some return ; or did it afford a too tempting opportunity for a fling at Dr. Cremonini's management because of some fancied slight ? And when he cracks up Dunedin Asylum as having sold £190 worth of produce, while Auckland is credited with only £<IS, might he not have thought of it that Auckland may have used up some of tho products of its farm, especially as the patients' consumption of articles is only £24 a head against Wellington's £80. I suspect that Mr. Ewington's new-born "down" on Dr. Cremonini has rather blinded his intellect.—l am, etc., F.