PERSONS IN THE ASYLUM WHO HAVE NO RIGHT THERE. THE DEPUTY INSPECTOR'S REPORTS TO DR. MacGREGOR. Auckland, August 28. SINGULAR FACTS

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 295, 1 September 1888, Page 3

PERSONS IN THE ASYLUM WHO HAVE NO RIGHT THERE. THE DEPUTY INSPECTOR'S REPORTS TO DR. MacGREGOR. Auckland, August 28.

SINGULAR FACTS

Coj.omj, Uvi'i'iUN, Deputy Inspector ot Auckland Lunatic A^lum, ha 5'5 ' ioiwaided d lepoit to Dr. MncGiegor which allot ds food I*ol ciioiul coufidei.nioi). The mafctei uas bi ought up at tiio meeting of the Hospital and Chaiitablo Aid Board last ni^ lit, when the following letter was lead :-- "I havo tho honoui, by direction ol the Colonial Societal y, to mtoim you that tlic Deputy Inspect 01 of the Auckland Ay\luui, the lion. Colonel ITaultain, in hi^ la^tiepoi (, on bhat institution, which ho waited on the 4th and Bth inst. , makeb tho following statement:- " Thiee ot thtbo inmate-, were sontfiom the Refuge, because they lune not. .--ufhcient means in that institution ioi patients who icquiie any supom-s-ion or eontiol : but they ought not to be in a Lunatic Asylum, obliged to mix with maniacs, foi they aiv haimlcFs to thcni^ehes and otheis, and can only suilei by icmaining he: o. ' The Colonial Hecictaiy .tuujt^.Jhat the .Board wi,!J.,yakq this jio-itimi into, it, ■> earnest LonWlcuition, — (b.{, mcd)r ned) Di:. Cir.j.< on.' Mi Caihmd, tlieSecietaiy, .-Utecl that ho had wutten to Colonel Haullain asking foi iiuthei nitoiinajion on the matter. Hoiead Lhe following reply which he had received : '• In reply to >oui lettei of the 21^-t instant asking me 10 give the Chaiito-ble Aid Boaui the names oi tin; peK-on" lelerred to in my lemaiks when % -siting the Lunatic Asylum on the Bth instant as • tlnce inmates' pent liom the Ri'fui>c foi lack of nican^ .it that ii tor patients who requite an\ supervision oi eontiol, I ha\o t!ie honoui to iiitoim \ou thai I have notKept a note of theii name.--, but the pciMnib alluded to weie iho>c leccntl^ ?ent tioni the Refuge. .Should this explanation not be sufficiently explicit and jou will jiifoim me accoi'dmgl^ , 1 will \i«it the A>->-lum again tor tile jMiipo-c of obtaining the iiomc-> — \Siyned) T. H \i i,rvi\." }>h Uignan said that those wcie the thiec patients w ho-o iemo\al to the Aoylum was leeommendcd by Dr. Bell. Mr Ud\ said that when Dr. Bell w,i& be^oie the Committee, he acid that the men i\eie .-ent to the As\ him upon the ceitilicate ot two doctoi s who v.eie unconnected with the Boa id. Ah- (iarland taid that Dr. lido.-, tl.e K.M., haJ also t-ecn the patients pi ioi to signing the vatiant for t''eu committal. JNlr Cooper said that there a\ as no doubt tint tho whole t-j^tem of committing' lunatic;- to tho Asylum icquiied looking into. lie had teon doefoi-^ make their afiumation befoie tho R. JNL Jt w.i^ oenerall> done by simply handing up the ! certificate to the It. M. whilo anothei ca^e was piucqedmg. l-lemo\cd that Dr. .MaeGiegor bo intormod that tho^e patients weie commi'ted upon the certificate of Ihe R.J\L and two medical men unconnected with the Board, and that, theiefoie, the Board had no power to do anything fiuthci in the rnat/cr. Thi-5 motion w t s adopted.

AXOTIiER BJX<!Ui,A[I CAM! The Secietary then read n f.nthcr communication fiom Colonel Haul tain, which was a« follow s :—: — " 1 ha\c the honour to uckno\\ 1 c i^c the lcccipfc of yom letter of the 20t.h insfc., m which ;you state that- the Charitable .Aid ! Committee do nol .^ee then- \va, r to inteifuc in Mr.-, Clifton",-, ca^e on the following ground- : (1) Thai (.lie ca.*o is not ono of destitution, and (2) that .she is <? o unmanagable in pnvatc houses that no one would tako her in ; and in ro{)iv I Acntuie to <ny thab the Committee lmift iia\o been nutiufoiinecl on both these points. .Mr-) Clifton has no means whatever, and neither her son nor liel 1 daughter are in a position to suppoifc her ; it it weie othet wite ?he uonltl have been disohai'jcd fiomthe Asylum f-omo weeks aj.',o. With regaul to the second point, 1 !rwe made caieful inquiries into her cas-e, and fiom statement? made to mo by hei son, by a fiiend, by Di. Cieinonini, and by the pohce, as well a** fiom my own obtcivation when a isitinjr Jior on two occasions, I feel satisfied that ~!ie i- quite haimlcob, and has been wiongfnl.y committed to tho Asylum. T would theiefoie beg the Committee to leconsider tl:eir dcci&ion, for lam sine that the po u- woman iV sufTbiiug gnevon&ly from the less of hei liberty, and from hei association with lunatics, and that hei weak^.c^" of intellect will be ap-giavated and licr life .shoi tenod unless .slie is removed fiom the A-\lum - (dinned) T. ]\l. H \UI.TAIN"."' It wab resolved in this ca&c to endorse the pievioub action ot (l.c Committee in stating thab they had no power to take fuibhei action in the maltci. '