WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 1417, 18 January 1879, Page 12

WELLINGTON LUNATIC ASYLUM.

Wellington, January loth. Dr Skae's report on the condition of the Wellington Lunatic Asylum shows it to be fearfully overcrowded. He says :— " The numbers row in the Asylum are— males, 66; females, 46; total, 112— being 40 more than when I first drew attention to its overcrowded condition. This ha 3 now reached a pitch which is quite unendurable, and baffles all attempts at good management. Almost all the bedrooms intended for the use of one patient only are occupied by two or three. There is consequently no possibility of safely disposing of excited and violent patients, and the risks of serious accident — even> murder — are very # great in- , deed, not to speak of the abominable vices which are liable to be encouraged by such dis tribution of persons of disordered passions and bereft of self-control. The passages and lava J tories are used as sleeping places. Most of |the associated dormitories are crowded with beds, to which less than half the minimum cubic space thought consistent with good health is allotted. The solitary dayroom for males is even more crowded than the dormitories. This room is 20ft by 15ft, and when visited on the 29th — x rainy day, on which the patients could not get out to the grounds — it contained 30 patients, packed ho closely together on benches that they had not room to move their elbows. Although the windows and a door were open, the atmosphere wa? close and offensive, but the superintendent explained that it was nothing to what it usually was in wet weather, when it is occupied by 35 patients and two attendants, and the windows have to be kept shut on account of the strong cold winds. It is absurd to pretend that this place in its present condition has any claim to be considered an asylum—it would be

an undeserved compliment to call it a prison. It is not morally justifiable to continue week after week adding to the numbers of its inmates. Whatever difficulty there may be in otherwise disposing of the insane, it appears to me necessary that a circular should be sent to all Resident Magistrates and acting Justices in the provincial district, informing them that no more patients can be received into the asylum until the building has been enlarged, or a reduction haa by some means been effected in the number now resident. Unless some such step as this be taken, it seems certain that a dreadful catastrophe will happen. It cannot be too distinctly stated that this asylum is already in a dangerous and unmanageable condition."