REPORT ON THE LUNATIC ASYLUM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9403, 9 January 1894, Page 6

REPORT ON THE LUNATIC ASYLUM.

[BY P. G. EWINGTON, OFFICIAL VISITOR.J Last Saturday afternoon I officially visited the patients at both of the lunatic asylums. Dr. Philson, corober, was holding inquest on a patient who had died the day previously, and another patient, suffering from cancer in the throat and asthma, died during my visit. I gave the patients some Pictorial papers and an early edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, the former being a present • from the Town Clerk, and the latter jfrom Mr E. R. Foster, of Ponsonby. Such gifts are much appreciated by the patients. Doubtless there are Secretaries of Book Clubs,' and private • persons, who have pictorial papers and magazines which they no longer require, and which would prove a boon to the patients.' Many of them anxiously asked if they were going to have a picnic, this year, and were told that it would depend upon the response Mr. Theo. Cooper and 1 would receive when we collected. subscriptions. Something of that sort is needed to relieve the monotony of - asylum life.. Much is done by the superintendent and the attendants to amuse the patients and interest them in the ordinary activities of the farm, garden, and household life, but "it is most difficult) to minister to minds diseased. The poor creature get so absorbed in their own delusions and personal affairs, which assume an importance and magnitude out of all proportion to the facts of real life, that it is difficult to get them to forget their troubles oven for a short time. Strange and unwarrantable as the troubles and illusions of many of them ; may appear to sane persons some of the patients nevertheless suffer extremely from fears and anticipations which are sufficiently realistic to worry them into \ their graves in time. Any persons willing to contribute towards the expense of the annual outing, which depends on the generosity of a sympathetic public, can send their donations to me or to Mr. Cooper, deputy-inspector. There are now in'the Asylums 170 females and 252 males; total, 422 patients. One, a Maori, was in seclusion, and only two were sick in bed. No complaints were made to me. I inquired' as to food, clothing, amusements, divine services, occupations, and found everything going on satisfactorily, except that; the males are overcrowded and there are too few single rooms. But 50 male patients will be sent away to ' the new asylum at Wellington in a few days, and steps will be taken to provide the single rooms. j The sending away of 50 male patients will not prove a very great relief to us. Only seven males will go from the main building, the other 43 will go from the auxiliary asylum, and mostly are patients who are quiet and useful about the farm, j Of late there has been a constant stream of new patients into the asylum, and the cause of the insanity of some of them suggests deep and difficult problems of life. We have very sad and striking illus- j trations of the ancient observation: "It is not good for man to be alone." We pay a terrible price for some of the con- j ventionalities of society. Some of the 1 fruits of civilisation are verily apples of j Sodom and grapes of Gomorrah. I have great pleasure in saying that some remarkable cures are effected at our Asylum. Sometimes persons write to me from a distance about insane relatives whom they naturally cling to as long as possible, some -of thenf fearing to send them to the Asylum. But there is a great advantage in patients getting asylum treatment early when they are deranged. So ordinary private house can possibly provide for the constant care of and attention to patients such as they can get in the Lunatic Asylum; and the fears that they will never see their friends again if once they cross the threshold of the Asylum are mostly groundless. Of course old " persons suffering from senile decay have very little chance of ever coming out again, but young persons with good physique, and a fair family history, may often reasonably be looked upon as curable. Numbers get restored to reason sufficiently to get along through life happily and prosperously. Relatives are often too impatient for restoration, and do not give the institution fair play. - A large swimming bath is now being built for the male patients, and the drayiage system, is almost completed—a system by which the refuse from the Asylum will be utilised on the farm and garden. People may imagine the immense quantity of milk and vegetables, required in an institution comprising : about 460 patients and attendants. On grounds of economy, to say nothing of the' advantage of having at hand abundance of vegetables and cattle feed, the new drainage scheme was a wise provision. On leaving the Asylum I felt very thankful that there is such a place where the most helpless, defenceless, and unhappy of our fellow creatures have such excellent provision for their safety and general welfare.