154 



Males .... 

 Females . . . 

 Sex not mentioned 



INSANITY. 



Adult . . . . 

 N'on- adult . . 

 Age not specified 



hit:! 



17'il 



85 



3489 



2769 

 576 



164: 



3489 



Furious 622 



Fatuous 2688 



State not specified . 179 



Maintained by parish 

 Partly by ditto . . 

 Wholly by relations 

 These circumstances 1 

 not specified . J 



533 



9*4 



1020 



992 



3489 



Maria fre- 



ijjivnt a- 

 iiiung fe- 

 lualo. 



Iiliotism a- 

 niong males. 



.Turispru- 

 ilcnce as re- 

 lating to 

 insanity. 



According to these returns, the proportions of the 

 two sexes preponderate towards the females. This 

 circtimstanve varies in .different places. We are inform- 

 ed by Dr. Halliday, who at an early period made ex- 

 tensive inquiries on this subject, by collecting state- 

 jnents from the parishes of Scotland, that the propor- 

 tion of natural idiots was greatest among males, while 

 that of maniacal cases was greatest among females. 

 The parishes from which he obtained statements were 

 7 S<. In these, the number of idiots going at large was 

 1<)76, of whom 1145 were males, and 831 females. 

 That of maniacs under restraint was 1676, of whom 

 727 were males, and 949 females. 



The objects of legislative enactment on the subject 

 of insanity, comprize three particulars. 



1. The prevention of wrongous confinement on a 

 false plea of insanity. During a relaxed state of the 

 law on this point, such confinement has very frequent- 

 ly been practised by selfish and depraved individuals, 

 for the purpose of obtaining possession of the property 

 of a rich relation. For this purpose false representa- 

 tions have been made to a medical practitioner, and the 

 lure of emolument at the same time held out, and thus 

 a certificate of insanity has been obtained, which was 

 sufficient to authorize the confinement of any individual 

 as a lunatic. Such a power ought not to be vested in 

 any person whose qualifications are not well accredited; 

 and the certificate of one individual should never be 

 held sufficient to authorize the continuance of a person 

 in confinement beyond a very few days. All such cases 

 ought to be speedily reported to a plurality of official 

 men. This is necessary for ascertaining, to the rea- 

 sonable satisfaction of all parties, whether the insanity 

 is evident ; and cases will sometimes occur that bear a 

 very questionable aspect, and require frequent visits, 

 and the minute observation of a sagacious and experi- 

 enced person, before that point can be determined. On 

 this account facilities should be afforded for obtain- 

 ing information from respectable neighbours, of all the 

 previous circumstances that are likely to throw light 

 on such cases. Wherever motives to unjust confine- 

 ment might be supposed possible, the case should be in- 

 vestigated with particular care. Persons of property, 

 being most liable to cruel imposition in this particular, 

 should be provided with the best legal protection. 



2. Another object is, to provide for the confinement 

 of all those persons whose mental condition renders that 

 measure necessary. On this point, delicacy towards 

 persons who show symptoms of incipient derangement, 

 and towards their friends, requires that much should 

 be left to private discretion. There is no doubt, how- 

 ever, that wandering lunatics ought to be attended to ; 



that the mischievous should be pTaced under restraint ; Insanity, 

 and that, for obvious reasons, no females in this un- '" 

 fortunate situation should be allowed to po at large. 



3. A third object is, to secure the best treatment to 

 the insane who are placed in confinement* Even- those 

 who are really insane, especially persons of superior 

 rank, are liable to be treated with studied careless- 

 ness from mercenary motives operating upon those in 

 whose charge they are placed, and from the base antipa. 

 thies or the rapacity of relations. Carelessness, mean 

 resentment, and a brutal disposition to abridge, as 

 much as possible, the business of a receptacle for the in. 

 sane, have too often been productive of inhuman usage 

 towards all descriptions of insane persons. These evils 

 can only be prevented by an assiduous system of tho. 

 rough and frequent inspection. Much advantage has 

 arisen from some recent enactments providing for the 

 inspection of such houses. But this inspection, in or- 

 der to produce the desired effect, ought to be at least 

 weekly, and the inspectors ought to have, without giv- 

 ing warning, immediate access to all parts of such esta- 

 blishments. 



The arrangements required in lunatic hospitals have Lunatic 

 recently become a subject of attentive study, and it is hospitals. 

 hoped will be soon perfectly understood. The comfort 

 of the situation, the security of the patients, and the 

 prevention of mischief, are requisites in them all. More 

 particular care is required in those intended for the re- 

 ception of recent cases, which admit of some hopes of re. 

 covery. An hospital for the curable insane requires, be. 

 sides the circumstances now mentioned, much more assi- 

 duous medical attendance, greater addres on the part of 

 the keeper, and various arrangements for separating the 

 different classes of patients, for presenting to their feel. 

 ings and thoughts only those objects which have an un. 

 exceptionable tendency, and providing them with saluta- 

 ry employment. Perhaps such institutions ought not to 

 be committed exclusively to the care of one medical per- 

 son. Or, if this is thought necessary for preventing jar- 

 rings, provision should be made for extended communi- 

 cations on the progress of each case, and frequent con- 

 sultations on the minutiaeof the treatment. Without this, 

 the due interest in the object is apt to decline, and the 

 practice is in danger of degenerating into an indolent 

 routine. 



Insanity is treated in the works of Hippocrates, Cel- List of 

 sus, Aretseus, Van Swieten, Cullen, and the greater part authors, 

 of ancient and modern systematic writers on medicine. 

 See more particularly Arnold on Insanity. Battle's 

 Treatise on Madness. Haslam on Madness and Melan- 

 choly. Illustrations of Madness, by ditto. Rush on 

 Mental Derangement. Cox's Ohscrvati .ns on. Insanity. 

 Crichton on Mental Derangement. Perfect's Select Cases 

 of Insanity. Mons. Pmel sur V Alienation Mentals. Hal- 

 laran on Insanity. G. N. Hill on the Prevention and 

 Cure of Insanity. Spurzheim on Insanity. The article 

 Folie in the Dictionnaire des Sciences Medicales. .Dr. 

 Powel's paper in the Transactions of the London Col- 

 lege of Physicians. Also the Reports of the Committee 

 of the House of Commons for considering the regula- 

 tion of mad-honses ; and the pamphlets of Stark, Tuke, 

 and others, on Lunatic Asylums. The Annual Reports 

 of the Glasgow Lunatic Atylurn, being generally inter- 

 esting and instructive, may be perused with" advan- 

 tage. (H.D.) 



