The thirty-seventh annual report of the visitors of the Staffordshire County Lunatic Asylum : for the year ending December 31, 1855.

  • Staffordshire County Lunatic Asylum.
Date:
[1856]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The thirty-seventh annual report of the visitors of the Staffordshire County Lunatic Asylum : for the year ending December 31, 1855. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER. By reference to Table 1 in this Report, it appears that during the past year 174 patients have been admitted, of which number 98 were males, and 76 females. At the termination of the year 1854, the number resident in the house was 384;—on December 31st, 1855—406, which number therefore very nearly indicates the relative increase of patients. The healthy state of the Asylum as shewn by the smaller number of deaths, and the more numerous admissions, to a certain extent account for this increase ; but I think it cannot be doubted that the augmentation in numbers is out of propor- - tion to that which might be expected from the increase of population. Many of the causes of insanity are doubtless beyond our control, and where such is the case no complete cure can be expected, although even here relief may be afforded, still the chief causes do lie within our reach, and by careful attention to the fact that although medical means may fail to afford benefit when the disease is once established, yet by the moral improvement of the great bulk of population the exciting and predisposing sources may be removed. The sources to which I allude are intoxication and poverty, and out of the admissions during last year, 50 are clearly traceable to one of these prolific Number of Admissions and number in Asylum. Causes of Insanity.