A FREE COLONY OF LUNATICS. 61 



a close asylum, a very small number of guards are sufficient, witli the 

 aid of the high walls and gratings, to watch a relatively large number 

 of insane ; but there the patient is not watched by any except the 

 guards. While cases of maltreatment are rare, they nevertheless occur, 

 and have to be brought into the courts. But this is hardly possible 

 at Gheel ; here is a whole population directly or remotely interested 

 in seeing that the patients are well treated. The nourricier always 

 has rivals who would be eager to take advantage of any case of vio- 

 lence or brutality to denounce the culprit and have his license with- 

 drawn. Every inhabitant of Gheel is or can become acquainted with 

 all the members of the colony ; he knows where they live, and under- 

 stands the phases of their various affections, and has a sympathy for 

 them. Where else could be found so many guards and so Avell trained ? 

 But the number of guards of section is not in proj^ortion to the im- 

 portance and multiplicity of their duties, and it should be increased. 

 Four men are not enough to attend to all the details that fall under 

 their supervision ; and cases may occur, as has sometimes happened, 

 when they are all at once occupied, or absent, on special duty. 



Once placed with his nourricier^ the patient enjoys considerable 

 liberty. If he is wealthy, or in easy circumstances, he does what he 

 pleases ; he may read, write, smoke, and work, according to his inclina- 

 tion ; the poorer patient, also, if he does not care to work, may pass 

 his time in his own way. But, except when an indigent patient is too 

 old to labor, or when physical infirmities forbid his exercising any 

 manual profession, the large majority of the patients at Gheel are em- 

 ployed in some way or another. Work, especially field-work, agrees 

 well with the insane. It gives them a salutary diversion. In a purely 

 physical view, it has always the advantage of strengthening their 

 muscles and promoting an energetic circulation of the blood ; but the 

 benefit in this case is perhaps more moral than physical. The propor- 

 tion of patients employed at Gheel varies according to the categories 

 of their affections, but may be averaged at about seventy-two per cent, 

 and is nearly equally made up of men and women. According to an 

 estimate furnished by Dr. Peeters, in a group of 390 maniacs are 178 

 men, only 30 of whom are idle ; the rest are at work as follow : 25 at 

 housekeeping, 110 in agriculture, and the rest as masons, fishermen, 

 brick-makers, draughtsmen, carriers, shoe-makers, joiners, or tailors. 

 Among the idiots, we find 182 employed, 84 unemployed ; among 62 

 melancholies, 44 engaged in some kind of work, and 18 not so engaged. 

 A considerable number of professions are represented among the insane 

 men, and those who desire to work at their regular business can do so. 

 With the women, while the number of professions is smaller, the num- 

 ber who are occupied in one way or another is more considerable than 

 among the men ; the majority of them assist in the housekeeping or 

 in taking care of the children ; many work in the fields ; a few carry 

 on a trade, lace-making, for instance. 



