H.—No. 10.

6

REPORT OE JOINT COMMITTEE

Dr. Kemp,

76. Was the diet of the patients liberal ? Yes, very : they were well fed, and used to get quite fat. We had medical comforts. 77. The Hon. Captain Fraser.] Did you give liberal allowance of wine and beer ? I did not often order it, only in cases where I thought it really necessary as a medical comfort. 78. Did you use imported or colonial ale? As far as I can remember, it was colonial. 79. Have you any knowledge of the asylum at Karori ? I have never been there. 80. Mr. Parker.] Would you recommend that a resident surgeon should be attached to a lunatic asylum ? Yes, if of a sufficient size. 81. How many patients could one look after ? At home, with 400 patients, there would be the surgeon-superintendent with an assistant and trained keepers. At the Leicester Asylum, there were 400 to 500 patients. There was a surgeon-superintendent, with trained keepers under him. 82. Do you recommend any particular size for a lunatic asylum —whether would it be better to have four capable of containing 100 patients each, or one for 400 patients? If there were sufficient attendants, tho large one would work best. 83. Mr. Curtis.] Do you think patients would suffer from being removed from the immediate neighbourhood of their friends and relations ? Do you think that such removal would have a good effect ? In some cases it would do harm, and in some good. , In some cases lunatics brought from the coast, who have been inoffensive before the journey, have arrived at the asylum at Nelson raving lunatics. 84. Might that not have arisen from the march of the disease, and not from the journey ? No. 85. The Hon. Captain Fraser.] Might they not have taken stimulants on the way ? No, because they were under the charge of a constable. 86. Mr. Parker.] They must, of course, be brought some distance ? I think the less travelling they have the better, as a general rule. 87. The Hon. Mr. Menzies.] Would it be well to maintain the local establishments for a particular class of cases ? Yes, cases of short standing. 88. Might I ask what proportion of 100 cases would recover shortly, and within what period ? I was looking at some tables in my journal, and I found a record that of 500 patients, 300 were sent out in two years, some cured, and some more or less cured. 89. So far as your knowledge goes, about 60 per cent, were cured in two years ? Yes, very nearly 60 per cent, were cured in two years. 90. Would it be advisable to maintain the local class of asylum for that class of disease ? Certainly, I think many would be cured in a much shorter time than that. Cases of over six months standing should be sent off to a central asylum, because lunacy would be pretty well confirmed. 91. The Hon. Dr. Renwick. —Should tho attendant, in the Provincial establishment, be a specially trained medical officer?... Yes, if possible. 92. In the event of not having an officer who had been specially trained, do you think the chances of recovery would be as great as in a lunatic asylum where there was a specially trained medical officer, with proper appliances? No, not nearly so great. 93. Under the circumstances in which the Colony of New Zealand is placed, with a number of outlying districts, do you think it would be the best mode of treatment to establish a large central asylum where there would be properly trained officers ? Yes, I think so. It would be much more beneficial to the patients, and a larger number would be likely to recover, the appliances would bo better, and the medical man should be one thoroughly educated for his position. 94. Mr. Parker.] I suppose, in an asylum with 100 to 150 patients, it would bo worth while to keep a resident medical officer ? Certainly. 95. If an asylum were as large as that, would it be worth while to retain it (for it would not be too small) ? would you rather have the patients kept in one of that size, or sent to one where there would be 400 ? Cases that are of long standing, or likely to bo incurable, it would be preferable to send to a large establishment: if they retained a spark of intellect they would have a better chance. In other cases I would prefer a local asylum. 96. The Chairman.] Is there any suggestion you would make on the subject ? In the first place, as to a central lunatic asylum, and as to local ones, I should certainly suggest either one asylum for each Island, or one for the whole Colony, according to requirements, and they should have properly trained medical men at the head all day, to carry them out efficiently. All cases of long standing should be sent to those asylums, and the smaller ones should be put in a thorough state of repair, and made efficient for short cases. That would save expense, and increase the chance of recovery. 97. Do you think that, besides the resident surgeon, with a proper staff of trained servants, there should be an Inspector-General, to visit the Provincial asylums ? Yes ; there ought to be, to inspect the central and all asylums. 98. Mr. Andrew.] The same officer would have sufficient time to inspect tho gaols as well? I would rather see that made a separate appointment, but it would depend greatly on the salary he would be paid. 99. The Chairman.] Could he inspect all the gaols and asylums in tho Colony ? Yes; he could do it. 100. Of course it must be his solo and special work ? Yes. 101. Mr. Parker.] Would you think it advisable to combine the Inspectorship of Gaols and Hospitals in one officer ? I should think it would be almost more preferable to have in each Province an Inspector of Hospitals. 102. The Hon. Dr. Renwick.] Perhaps the Inspectorship of Gaols and Asylums might bo combined ? Yes. 103. Are you not of opinion that hospitals require inspection ? In England they are not inspected, being generally managed by a Board of Governors. (The witness withdrew.)