Thirty-ninth annual report of the County and City of Worcester Lunatic Asylum for the year 1891, and financial statements, 1991-92.

  • County and City of Worcester Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Thirty-ninth annual report of the County and City of Worcester Lunatic Asylum for the year 1891, and financial statements, 1991-92. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    afternoon of each month; and for the last four months we have extended this custom by a similar morning service on the third Sunday. These, as I have previously remarked, keep up our interest in the musical element ; and the choir, latterly en¬ larged by all the Attendants and Nurses that have the ability, are kept by the Superintendent in really first-rate condition ; and they will compare favourably with most Parish Choirs whether in town or country. Recently a class has been formed for special training in musical knowledge with the incentive of prizes to the Juniors under the instruction of Assistant Medical Officer, Mr. Tanner, who reports well of the fruit already borne and that may yet come of the move¬ ment, which undoubtedly is a good one. Amongst special services I should mention the customary ones of Good Priday, Harvest Festival, and Christmas Day, these being conducted by myself, though I endeavoured to provide a change of preacher for the second. There has been further in the afternoon of December 13th, the re-opening of the organ after the addition of a new stop, on which occasion the sermon was preached by one of your own number, the Rev. Canon Coventry, who, to the pleasure of every one here, cordially accepted the invitation to occupy the pulpit, though (I fear) at much personal inconvenience increased by the untoward weather. One Lesson was read by the Vicar of Powick. The manifest pleasure evinced by our people on this occasion suggested to my mind to try further the goodwill of neighbours, and a general invitation I gave to the Rev. W. R. Carr, Vicar of St. John’s, to give us a sermon, whenever he could, was promptly accepted for the last Sunday in the year with (I am sure from many observations since made to me) much profit to his hearers, numbering about 600. He has also promised to preach once a year and as often as possible besides. I need not say that all such extraneous means of arousing attention are and will be gratefully welcomed by me. Amongst rare occurrences I may record the baptism of an adult patient (H. I. H.) on May 3rd, of whom, in lucid intervals, I had previously obtained a sufficient confession of faith, and to whom his wife stood sponsor, so far as I considered that office requisite. An entry was made in the Parish Register Book. I recently also had the mournful duty of conducting the funeral obsequies of one of our junior nurses, after a long and distressing illness contracted during the inclement weather. We have still a quantity of Hymn Books, Prayer Books, and Bibles left of the stock laid in towards the end of last year, and we have lately bought a number of music and other books for the choir necessitated partly by the enlarged number of singers, and partly by long wear and tear. The issue of Library books has been 339, of which 74 were to Officers, Attendants, &c. ; but it is common for others to