77

Account of Patients admitted into the Hospital during the Year ending
31st March, 1872.

• The lowest number left in the Hospital for the last two years.

The number of out-patients during the past year has been over 500 receiving
advice and medicine for terms varying from one week to six weeks, and even two
months. This kind of relief is a great boon to the really needy, and comparatively
inexpensive to the Government. On this account I have devoted much attention to it.

ALEXANDER JOHNSTON, M.D.,
Provincial Surgeon.

His Honor the Superintendent, Wellington.

REPORT on Lunatic Asylum, by Dr. France.

Wellington, February 3, 1872.

SIR,—
As a new Lunatic Asylum is about being built, it is desirable that the
usefulness of the present establishment should be known, as very erroneous opinions
have been held by many people regarding it, arising from false reports and the
suspicion that generally attaches to such institutions by the public, although very few
take the trouble to see for themselves.

The present Asylum, I believe, originated in the necessity for providing better
accommodation for the five or six lunatics then in Wellington; as the number of
patients increased the authorities have enlarged the accommodation as far as their
means would allow, and taking into consideration the unsuitableness of the present site
it would have been unwise to proceed further when it became necessary to build a
larger one. Hence the overcrowding and outcry. But in spite of all this the per
centage of cures, as shown in the accompanying table, has been equal to the average
of England.

The conclusion which Dr. Thurman came to on the basis of his careful statistics
was, that as regards the recoveries a proportion much exceeding 45 per cent. was a
high proportion. He also estimates that 50 per cent. of recoveries from the first
attack relapse and die insane sooner or later. The table I have referred to shows that
upwards of 50 per cent. of those admitted during the past ten years have been
discharged as cured. Out of 54 admissions 32 have been discharged. Of the 28
patients remaining on January 1st, 1872, I consider 20 to be incurable, suffering
principally from Dementia, the least curable of all forms of insanity. No doubt one
half of these could be as easily cared for in any Benevolent Institution.

These facts show that the much-abused Karori Asylum is as curative as the
larger ones in England. I think it probable that other Colonial Asylums may be able
to show a larger per centage of cures arising from the reception of many temporary
cases, originating in drink, being, in fact, merely bad cases of delirium tremens,
accompanied with maniacal excitement, but really not cases of insanity. These are
very likely to be met with in gold producing districts.

Maudsley says "there cannot be any settled system of treatment of insanity in
general. Provided the bodily health is good the main treatment consists in moral
control and a generous diet; remove any bodily condition which is likely to keep up
the mental irritation or depression; give as much fresh air as possible, and also liberty,
combined with occupation and amusement, as far as is compatible with the safety of
the patient."

This is the course of treatment pursued at Karori, and has been for years past.
No doubt there is great room for improvement in the surroundings of the patients,
with the view especially of hastening cures, as well as making the lives of many