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the relief afforded him and promised never to attempt self-destruction again. By repeated doses of castor-oil a great number of stones were brought away, and all were supposed to have passed safely through. At the end of six days, however, he sent for the house-surgeon again, saying that there was a large stone at the lower end of the bowel, and he could not pass it. On the introduction of the finger, several stones with sharp jagged edges could be distinctly felt impacted in fæcal matter, and the mass appeared to be so large that it seemed impassible without laceration. Whilst an enema was being prepared for him, he suddenly passed a large mass, 83 inches in circumference, and containing seventy-two stones, and many small pieces of brick, &c., the whole weighing nearly 7 ounces. There was no laceration. bodily health improved after this, but his mind remained unsettled. It was imagined and hoped that this unsuccessful effort, with its pain, ful instruction, would have been his last attempt, but it was not so. He continued with maniacal obstinacy to resist all food, and he was obliged to be fed frequently by the stomach-pump with good beef-tea and wine. On the 11th of August he made another fearful attempt to burn himself to death. He was assisting the attendant in cleaning the galleries, with several other patients about him, when, as if on a sudden impulse, he ran and threw himself into the fire under the bath. He burnt his chest a good deal and the cartilages of his ribs; and for a long while he refused to take any medicine, or to have any application to the burn. He has of late, however, been gradually more yielding, and is now very much better, and recovered entirely from the injury; he will occasionally talk with some degree of cheerfulness, and seems apparently struggling against an almost irresistible impulse. Though this is a very aggravated case (the man literally having tried every element, earth, air, fire, and water, to accomplish his end), it is only one out of the number alluded to before."

This is a type of case met with in most asylums, public and private. Considering the degree of indulgence and liberty extended towards the insane in all well-conducted asylums, as well as the cunning, ingenuity, and cleverness frequently manifested by such patients, we are astonished that accidents of this kind do not more frequently occur.

It appears from the "Sixth Report of the Somerset County Lunatic Asylum for 1853," that "at the termination of 1852 the number of patients remaining in the asylum were 342, being only an increase of 2 on the preceding year. In 1853, the admissions have been 69 males, 64 females, making a total of 133; of these 7 males and 12 females were re-admissions. During the year there were discharged 33 males, 30 females; and died 28 males, 21 females; total at the end of the year, 363."

Dr. Boyd's report is full of interesting matter. The tables are extremely valuable, and must, in their preparation, have entailed upon him great labour. They are well worth the study of all engaged in

these abstruse inquiries.

The analysis appended to the tabular

statements very much enhances their importance.

The last "Annual Report of the Medical Superintendent of the Dorsetshire County Lunatic Asylum" contains a gratifying account of the condition of that institution. It appears "there have been admitted during the year 36 patients, (19 males and 17 females); 14 patients have been discharged, (8 males and 6 females); and 7 have died."

The report contains the usual statistical tables, which appear to be carefully drawn up.

We have before us the "First Annual Report of the Joint Lunatic Asylum for the Counties of Monmouth, Hereford, Brecon, Radnor, and the City of Hereford." This asylum was built for 254 patients, at a cost of 37,0837., including the purchase of a site and all expenses, at a cost of 1467. per head. The report says,-" With a probable additional outlay of 12007., which ought to be immediately undertaken, they will have a building capable of receiving 306 patients, at a cost of 1257. per head."

The charge for the "maintenance was, from the opening of the asylum to the 31st December, 1852, 10s. per head per week; since that time it has been 8s. 6d. In consequence of the present high price of provisions the charge must be again raised to 10s."

Dr. Allen presents us with the following statistics of the asylum:"A second year has now elapsed since the opening of this asylum for the reception of the insane poor.

"At the close of the year 1852 there remained in the asylum 207 patients, viz., 88 males and 119 females. 93 persons have been admitted during the year 1853, 46 males and 47 females; of these 1 male and 1 female were criminal lunatics, admitted under the warrant of the Secretary of State. There have been 6 re-admissions during the year.

"The discharges during the year have amounted to 42, viz., 23 males and 19 females; of these 22 males and 18 females were recovered or relieved, and 1 male and 1 female were discharged by the desire of friends, but they were not improved.

"The deaths during the year have amounted to 24, viz. 10 males and 14 females. The mortality, it will be observed, among the males has decreased, while that of the females has considerably increased in comparison with that of the previous year-one person died two days, one three days, one eight days, one ten days, one fifteen days, and one a month after admission. With two exceptions, all had well marked symptoms of cerebral disease, which in the majority of cases was verified by post-mortem examinations. The two exceptions were, one a female, who on admission was suffering from acute phthisis complicated with intermittent mania, the other an idiotic girl, who died from inflamed sore throat.

"There now remain in the asylum 234 patients, viz. 101 males and 133 females."

It appears from the last report of the "Littlemore Asylum for 1853," under the medical superintendence of Mr. William Ley, that—

"The number of patients resident, at the close of the year 1853, was 28 more than at its opening. It had risen from 366 to 406, and had again been reduced to 394. The admissions in the year (including the readmission of three patients within twelve months of their discharge, and eleven after longer periods,) were barely less than in preceding years, being 107; they were in 1852, 109; the average number of patients sent by their parishes in five years was 110 in each. The recoveries (39 in number) were equal to those of the previous year; and the mortality (namely, 34 deaths) was diminished."

The report contains the usual number of tables and a full detail of the yearly expenditure of the asylum. The former we cannot transfer to our pages, and the latter has only a local interest.

The "Report of the Gloucester County Lunatic Asylum for 1853" contains little else than numerous tabular statements. Dr. Williams has made no special report; of course the statistical tables are drawn up by himself, and for these he is entitled to credit. The following information we extract from the report :

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16 7 21 22 181 236 218 265 483

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Average number in the House each week in the year 355

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Total number admitted from opening of Institution in 1823 ...

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According to the "Fortieth Report of the Staffordshire Lunatic Asylum," under the medical superintendence of Mr. Wilkes, there were, at the termination of the year 1852,—

"Four hundred patients in the asylum-viz., 212 males and 188 females. During the year 1853, 91 males and 81 females were admitted, making a total of 572 patients under treatment. Of these, 43 males and 53 females have been discharged recovered; 11 males and 8 females relieved or incurable; and 34 males and 24 females have died; leaving on the 31st December, 399 patients in the house, of whom 215 were males and 184 females.

"The average number of patients resident throughout the year was 405.

"The admissions have slightly exceeded those of the previous year, being respectively 172 and 166. Of these 107 may be termed recent cases, the disorder being reported to have existed for various periods not exceeding six months, whereas in the previous year only 87 were of this class. Fifteen were stated to have been insane from 6 to 12 months, and 50 for much longer periods; consequently nearly the whole of these must be regarded as chronic and incurable cases, and a permanent burden to the rate-payers."

It appears from the "Report of the Physician of St. Luke's Hospital for 1853," that, during the preceding year,

"Fifty-eight male and 117 female patients have been admitted, there having remained from the previous year 26 males and 63 females, under treatment, making together 84 males and 180 females; of these 37 men and 82 women have been discharged cured, 12 men and 28 women uncured, and 6 men and 8 women have died; 5 men and 12 women have been removed at the request of friends. The total number therefore of patients discharged cured is 119, uncured 40, deaths 14; giving a per centage of 68.79 cured, of 23.12 uncured, and of 8.09 deaths.

"The per centage of recoveries has been higher this year than in any previous year, except those of 1842 (when it was 70-37) and 1851 (when it was 74·01).”

The physicians (Drs. Sutherland and Philp) report favourably of the sanitary state of the hospital. They recommend to the governors the establishment of a branch asylum, and propose that a farm should

be purchased in the neighbourhood of London, for the reception of boarders and convalescent patients. We hope the governors will take this excellent suggestion into immediate consideration. Eight cases of recovery are referred to in which the insanity had existed for from five to twelve years!

The "First Annual Report of the Medical Officers of the Norfolk County Asylum" is evidently drawn up with great care by, we presume, the late resident physician, Dr. Foote, who was, we think, so unfairly dismissed from the institution. The subjoined facts will illustrate the statistics of the asylum :

"During the past 12 months, 83 patients have been admitted—viz., 36 males and 47 females.

"On the 31st December, 1852, there were in the asylum 139 males and 159 females; total, 298. The whole number under treatment during the year has been 381; the average number daily resident, 304-91, or 139.66 males and 165.25 females.

"The number of deaths has been 36, or 19 males and 17 females; and the number of recoveries 38, or 16 males and 22 females; and the number discharged, not cured, has been 6-viz., 2 males and 4 females."

The "Report of the Lunatic Asylum at Rainhill for 1853" contains no extractable matter likely to prove interesting to our readers, with the exception of the subjoined table:

ADMISSIONS AND DISCHARGES DURING THE YEAR 1853.

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Having briefly analyzed the reports of the English asylums, we now proceed to consider the Scotch institutions for the insane.

The

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