Psychological Retrospect
During tlie last few months nothing of special interest has occurred! relating to insanity or to psychological literature. “We have to report the death of B. W. Proctor, Esq., who for some years held the appointment of one of the legal Commissioners in Lunacy, and lately was one of the non-visiting members of the Board. The death of this gentleman necessarily causes a vacancy in the Board, but as yet we have not heard of his successor. Dipsomania has lately been brought prominently before the profession, to which reference is made in the article on the subject.
We have to record murders and suicides committed by lunatics- at large, whose friends would not interfere and place them under legal restraint.
We give particulars of one in which gross neglect was shown. Charge of Murder.?Louisa Elizabeth Ashley, 46, a melancholy-looking creature, was placed at the bar to plead to an indictment charging her with the wilful murder of her child, Rose Margaretta Ashley.?In this case, it will be recollected, the prisoner made an attempt to drown the same child on the 8th of December, and there was no doubt that she was in a state of insanity, and that she had been in this condition a great many years. Two days afterwards the prisoner appeared to have attacked the child, which was a year and eight months old, with a chopper, and inflicted injuries which caused its death. Almost immediately afterwards the prisoner appeared to have lost all recollection of what took place.?Mr. Besley, who appeared for the prisoner, suggested that she was not in such a state of mind as to be able to plead to the indictment.?Mr. Johnson and Mr. Nicholls, two surgeons who had known the prisoner for many years, were then examined, and they proved that the prisoner had attempted to drown herself in 1865, and in 1866 she tried to poison herself. She had also tried to kill another child, and a certificate had been given for her removal to a lunatic asylum, and it was only by accident that she had not been removed, and thus the terrible occurrence would have been prevented.?Mr. Gibson, the surgeon of New- gate, said he had repeatedly examined the prisoner, and although she was now apparently rational, and able to answer the questions put to her, he believed that she was utterly ignorant of everything that had occurred relating to the crime, and was, in fact, insane.?The jury, upon this evidence, found that the prisoner was insane, and unable on that ground to plead to the indictment, and she was ordered to be detained during Her Majesty’s pleasure.
11 PKOBATE CASE.
This case is one of a class that we regret to say is now becoming very prevalent in consequence of the friends and the relatives refusing to be guided by the opinions of the medical men consulted. We here see a person who must have been of unsound mind, more or less, for ten years; and, notwithstanding two deliberate attempts were made at self-destruction in 1865 and 1866, and one attempt at murder in Decem- ber 1874, the persons in immediate attendance on her regarded her as a person of sound mind, and fit to be at large. A medical certificate is obtained, but even then the friends do not send the case to an asylum. This certificate was signed immediately after an attempt had been made to drown her child, the evidence stating it was by ” accident” that she had not been removed. The result of this ” accident” was the horrible mutilation of her child with a chopper. It seems to us a case in which severe condemnation should have been pronounced by the Judge on the relatives of the lunatic for not taking active steps to remove the patient to an asylum. We regret there is no provision in our lunacy law which empowers the medical man to be guided in his own discretion with a ?dangerous lunatic.
In France there is a special provision by which the medical man is empowered, when consulted in the case of a dangerous lunatic, to order the immediate conveyance to a maison de sante, and there the patient is received upon his certificate alone. The inspector-general of asylums is informed of the case, and two sub-inspectors are sent down to the asylum to report thereon. By this rapid procedure such an ?occurrence as we have been discussing would be avoided.
There have been several probate cases in which the insanity of the testator has been brought forward in order to upset the will, amongst which we may mention the following :?
Willis and Willis v. Beard and Others.?This was a probate suit, in which the plaintiffs propounded the will of the late John Willis, who died by his own hand on the 8th of May 1874. The will is dated the 2nd of February previous, and is opposed by the defendants, who are the nephews and nieces of the testator, chiefly on the ground that at the time the will was executed the testator was not of sound mind.?Mr. M’Intyre, Q.C., and Dr Tristram were counsel for the plaintiffs; and Dr Spinks, Q.C., and Mr. Bayford appeared for the defendants.?It appeared that the testator was a blacksmith, and carried on business at Pudhill Wharf, Shinfield, near Read- ing. For several years before his death he had retired from business, and in 1872, his mind having given way, he was confined in a lunatic asylum. His wife died in 1873, and he then went to live with his two brothers, the plaintiffs, in whose favour, on the date stated, he made the will now pro- pounded. From the evidence in the case in support of the will, it appeared that the testator, after he gave up business, had been confined in lunatic asylums for considerable periods. The solicitor, however, who prepared the will, stated that, from the conversation he had with the testator on that occasion, he was perfectly sane, and understood what he was about. In the month of May, after the will was executed, the testator went out to the garden with a pistol, on the pretence of shooting birds, and shot himself. Medical gentlemen were called, who stated that they examined the testator in 1872, and they found that at that time he was perfectly competent to transact business and to make a will. Evidence was also given that he was so up to tlie making of the will.?In opposition to the will a number of wit- nesses were called, who stated that from 1862, when the testator was first sent to a lunatic asylum, he never was competent to make a will. Several of them stated that the testator was always in the habit of speaking about wars and murders; that he was suspicious; that he spoke of his beino- Eoisoned; and that in every respect he showed symptoms of insanity.?After earing the whole of the evidence, and without hearing the arguments of counsel in the case, the learned Judge was of opinion that the testator was not of sound mind at the time he executed the will propounded. He accord- ingly pronounced against the will, and condemned the plaintiffs in costs. Sandys v. Atchison.?This was a probate suit, in which the plaintiff propounded the will of the late Mr. Thomas Atchison, who was a surgeon in the service of the East India Company, and who died in May of last year. The will is dated in April 1870, and is opposed on the ground of irregularity of execution and incapacity. Dr Spinks, Q.C., and Dr Pritchard were counsel for the plaintiff; and Mr. Bayford was for the defendant. Dr Spinks stated that he believed the plea of incapacity would not be in dispute, as there was medical testimony which would clearly show that the testator was of perfect capacity at the time he executed the wilj. The testator was a surgeon-major in the service of the East India Company, but he returned from India in 1865, and after he did so chiefly resided at the East India Club, in St. James’s Square, and he believed the only question would be as to the execution of the will, the attesting witnesses not being certain whether they were both present at the time the testator signed it. The will was signed in the library of the club, of which all the parties were members. As to the testator’s capacity, Dr Quain was called, who stated that he was formerly a professor at University College, where the testator was educated. He was intimate with him, and after his return from India, in 1865, he saw him often. In 1870 he was of perfect capacity, and was so up to within a month of his death. As to the execution of the will, both the attesting witnesses were called, who stated that they both signed the will, which was a holograph of the testator. Neither of them saw the other sign, and only one of them recollected seeing the testator sign, but they knew it to be his handwriting. It was signed in the library of the club, when several gentlemen were present, and while the one did not see the other sign, they both might have been in the room at the time.?After hearing the evidence, Sir James Ilannen said he was satisfied as to the testator’s capacity, but as to the execution of the will there was some difficulty. Looking, however, at the circumstances under which the will was executed, in the public library of a club, the facts of the case might have passed from the witnesses’ minds after the matter was over. He therefore found that the testator was of full capacity, and that the will was duly executed. He therefore pro- nounced for it, but by consent ordered the costs out of the estate. The following case is novel in its nature, and requires a few comments:?
WOKMLEiGnTON v. Asn?An action in the Queen’s Bench, in which judgment was allowed by default, ” Wormleighton v. Ash,” was heard before Mr. Under-Sheriff Burchell and a jury, to assess the amount to be awarded in an action of breach of promise of marriage. The damages were laid at 1,000? The case, from its peculiar character, occupied the day. Mr. Talford Salter, Q.C., and Mr. L. M. Apsland appeared for the plaintiff; Mr. Lumley Smith for the defendant.
The plaintiff, liosanna Wormleighton, lives with her aunt, who keeps a boarding-house, at 27 Ovington Square, Brompton, frequented by Horn an Catholics. On the 9th September last the defendant took apartments at the house, where be remained three weeks. They became acquainted, and, according to her evidence, she found him clever and intelligent, and he com- plained of the extravagant mode of ladies’ dressing at the present day. He went to Paris, and corresponded with her. A fortnight after the correspon- dence commenced, he returned to Ovington Square, and she received him as her lover, he having made her an offer of marriage, which she had accepted, lie bought her an engaged ring, and after he saw his sister on the subject of the intended marriage he became low-spirited. He had brought her a cross and earrings from Paris. She had made arrangements for her marriage, and expended 40/. or 50/. He said his sister wished him to see Dr Johnson and Dr Blandford, who had attended him, before he married. On the 28th December he could scarcely speak to her, and told her he was not allowed to marry. On the 4th January he left the house, but was immediately afterwards served with a writ in the present action. The plaintiff said she was 35, and the defendant 44. He had about 290/. a year. She admitted, when he said he was dull, she has said, ” You had better marry.” Several letters were read. In one of her letters she sent him some il unsophisticated love for his heart, of which she wished him to drink freely,” and he afterwards proposed marriage to his dear Rose, the queen of maidens, as the rose was the queen of flowers. She now knew that he had been con- fined for being out of his mind. She had seen Miss Ash, the sister, and it was said that it would be highly improper for the marriage to take place. The case on the part of the defendant, William Ash, was that he could not fulfil bis engagement, which the plaintiff had hastened, on account of his mental and bodily condition. The defendant was called, and was examined. He described his illness. The plaintiff, he imagined, wanted to marry him, and he did not think her “loss was much.” It was alleged that she had made love to him.
Dr E. Johnson, Dr Blandford, and other medical gentlemen, were called. They had advised that the defendant was not in a fit state to marry, and in consequence the marriage had not taken place.
Mr. Under-Sheriff Burchell told the jury that the case was of importance to the public, who were interested to know how they would deal with a case of such peculiar and remarkable features. He went through the case, and left it to the jury to estimate the loss sustained by the young lady, who was willing to marry the defendant. _
The jury retired, and on their return gave a verdict for GOO/. Mr. Lumley Smith asked the Court to stay the costs, to enable an appli- cation to be made to the Court above, on account of the excessive damages. Mr. Apsland objected, on the ground that the question of the amount was one solely for the jury to decide.
The learned Under-Sheriff said he should stay the writ for an application to be made.
A verdict was entered for GOO/., and execution stayed. In reference to the above case the Lancet says, ” We consider the damages given to have been most excessive, and do not think the jury could have had an intelligent appreciation of the merits and circum- stances of the case.”
We most heartily agree with the view of the case as taken by the Lancet, and must express ourselves greatly surprised at the verdict. We read of a person who had actually been confined as a lunatic proposing marriage to a lady, who accepts him as her future husband. The defendant is cautioned by Dr E. Johnson and Dr. Blandford against getting married, and strongly advised not to; the result being the above-mentioned action; and the jury, in the face of the high medical evidence, gave a verdict to the plaintiff, with extraor- dinary high damages. We are not acquainted with a case in which justice was so ignored as in the above-mentioned one, and we trust that when the case is taken into a higher Court the facts will be reconsidered.
An Extraordinary Will.?The will, dated March 26,1874, of the Rev. William Hill, late of Lansdown Villas, Springfield Road, Cotham, Bristol, Baptist minister, who died on November 11 last, has been proved at the district registry, Bristol, by Emerson Gerrish and Thomas Bowbeer, the executors, under 3,000/. After the death of his wife he gives to the Society for the Relief of Aged and Infirm Baptist Ministers, instituted in Bath, 181G, and to the Baptist Foreign Missionary Society, each 100/. The testator directs ” the payment of all my just debts, funeral, and testamen- tary expenses, as soon as conveniently may be after my departure to heaven; but, as this is to be my final public document, I shall here record my detestation of all State establishments of religion, believing them to be anti- Scriptural and soul-ruining. I have for years prayed the King of Sion to overthrow the politico-ecclesiastical Establishment of the British empire, and I leave the world with a full conviction that such prayer must ere long be answered. I thirst to see the Church brought down, the Church by man set up, for millions are led by it on to drink a bitter cup. I desire all posterity to know that William Hill was a conscientious Trinitarian Baptist minister, and that he believed infant sprinkling to be from his Satanic Majesty, the keystone of Popery, therefore the parent of unnumbered terrible evils; this delusion must also pass away at the divinely appointed time, and the immersion of believers, as plainly taught by the Great Teacher, the Iloly Ghost, and the Apostles, shall one day universally triumph. Man says, some water in the face, and that before the child has grace, is what is meant in Jesus’ Word by being buried in the Lord. .The deadly-drinking customs of professors and non-professors are likewise doomed. Heaven dash all error, sin, and the devil from the earth, and cause truth, holiness, and Christ everywhere to prevail.?Amen.”
We do not often meet with a more curious will than the above, and we think we are entitled to publish it as a psychological curiosity. An extraordinary sect has lately sprung up in England, called the ” Shakers.” The condition and customs of this community resemble the “dancing mania” which occurred in Germany in 1374. The mania gradually spread until the sect mustered over five hundred, and many beggars joined as a means of obtaining a livelihood. Hecker, in his ” Epidemic of the Middle Ages,” thus describes this class of people:?
<l They formed circles, hand in hand, and, appearing to have lost all con- trol over their senses, continued dancing, regardless of the bystanders, for hours together in wild delirium, until at length they fell to the ground in a state of exhaustion. They then complained of extreme oppression, and groaned as if in the agonies of death, until they were swathed in clotli3 bound tightly round their waists, upon which they again recovered, and remained free from complaint until tlae next attack. This practice of swathing was resorted to on account of the tympany which followed these spasmodic ravings, but the bystanders frequently relieved patients in a less artificial manner, by thumping and trampling upon the parts affected. “While dancing they neither saw nor heard, being insensible to external im- pressions through the senses, but were haunted by visions, their fancies conjuring up spirits whose names they shrieked out; and some of them afterwards asserted that they felt as if they had been immersed in a stream of blood, which obliged thenx to leap so high. Others during the paroxysm, saw the heavens opened and the Saviour enthroned with the Virgin Mary, according as the religious notions of the age were strangely and variously reflected in their imaginations.”
Removal of ojte or the Shakers to an Asylum.?Miss Julia Wood, in whose name New Forest Lodge was taken for the Shaker community, was removed on Saturday to Laverstock, a private asylum near Salisbury. Mr. W. Muskerry Tilson, who has been described as a nephew of Miss Wood, but who, it appears, is the legal adviser of her family, arrived in Lymington on Friday. Mr. Muskerry Tilson, Dr Maskew, of Lyndhurst, and Dr. Adams, of Lymington, a nurse from the Laverstock Asylum, and two police- men, repaired to the barn at Batchley next day. They found that Miss “Wood was not there. They then proceeded to the field in which the Shakers had erected their tent. The correspondent of the Manchester Guardian gives the following account of what followed :?” Dr Maskew entered the field singly, and made his way to the tent. At the entrance he was met by Brothers Isaac and Harry, who demanded his business, when he replied that he was a friend of Mr. Cowper-Temple, and had come to have a chat with him. He was then admitted into the tent. Most of the Shakers were sitting reund the stove, some reading books, while one young person, evidently the hairdresser of the community, with a round stick and a brush, was engaged in curling the hair of her sisters. In all about 70 persons were present in a tent measuring about 20ft. by 10ft. Dr Masker proceeded to inform Mrs. Girling, to whom he was conducted, that he came to pay her a visit, as he was much interested with the notices of the press respecting them, and that his wife had plenty of money and would be glad to assist them. Would they rent a place if she bought it for them ? Continuing in this way, he skilfully introduced the name of Miss Wood. 1 By-tlie-bye,’ said he, ‘ how is Miss Wood ? I do not see her’ (looking round) ; ‘ where is she ? ‘ Mrs. Girling replied that Miss Wood was there on the previous day, but that as she was in the habit of visiting their brethren round the neigh- bourhood, she could not say where she was at that moment. Dr Maskew proceeded to arrange a date for Miss Wood to see him, saying he came from some very old friends of hers, from whom she would be glad to hear, and that if Miss Wood would write and appoint an interview he would come, and see her. At this moment there walked in a police-sergeant and Mr. Tilson, who was known to the Shakers, when the plot was thus ‘ blown.’ Dr Maskew protested that he was quite alone, and that it was an accidental meeting. Baffled at the tent, the procession returned to Batchley Barn, calling on the way at Woodcock Farm, the residence of an outside Shaker. This time they were admitted to the barn, but, not finding Miss Wood, they returned to Woodcock Farm, where Dr Maskew was received by the farmer armed with a pitchfork, and the farmer’s wife with a poker, both barring his entrance. Propelled from behind by the police-sergeant and others, in spite of these obstacles, Dr Maskew and Mr. Tilson were thrust into the house. Permission was given them to search the place, but this was done without success. Going next to the Bells Inn for refreshment, the rural postman was met, who put them on the right track. Piloted by a renegade Shaker, the party proceeded to Batcliley, to the cottage of an outside member of the community, named Knight, by profession a hawker, chimney-sweep, and yeoman, and Miss Wood was here discovered. No sooner did” she see her pursuers than she tried to retreat to an upstairs room, but it was too late. Dr Maskew and the nephew first entered the cottage, and remained there a quarter of an hour. Dr Adams then took the place of Dr Maskew, while he retreated to the carriage to write his report. After five minutes Dr Adams came out, and I entered the cottage by invitation of Mrs. Knight? Mr. Haase, a Shaker of gentlemanly address, the cottager Knight, and se?ven women were present, Miss Wood being seated in the smoky chimney-corner, clad in her accustomed bloomer costume. Beyond the excitement consequent on such an event, Miss Wood seemed perfectly sane to an inexperienced eye. After the necessary warrant had been signed by the medical men, her removal was at once attempted. Mr. Haase placed himself before her and repeatedly urged them to show their authority for removing Miss Wood. Dr Maskew refused to do so, saying 1 he was the authority.’ The police- sergeant was called, who took Haase by the arms and threw hiai back. Mrs. Knight next placed herself before Miss Wood, but in vain. Half-supported by Dr Maskew and her nephew, her grey hair streaming in the wind, she was placed in the carriage, calling upon the representatives of the press to bear witness that she was taken away against her will. The carriage was then driven to Lyndhurst, en route for Laverstock, a private asylum near Salisbury.” Mr. C. S. Perceval, Secretary of the Commissioners of Lunacy, wrote yesterday to the editor of the jEcho :?” Sir,?I am directed by the Commissioners in Lunacy to inform you that the statement contained in paragraphs appearing this morning in the Daily Neivs and Standard, that Miss Wood, of the Shaker Community in the New Forest, has been con- veyed to a lunatic asylum under their order, is untrue. The Commissioners have had nothing to do with the matter, directly or indirectly.” Mr. Mus- kerry Tilson .also wrote to the Echo yesterday:?” Sir,?In your issue of to- day I perceive my name mentioned in connection with the removal of Miss Wood as being her ‘ nephew.’ This is not the case ; but the error doubt- less originated in the fact that, on a previous visit to the Shaker encamp- ment, I was accompanied by one of Miss Wood’s nephews. My appearance on the scene last Saturday was solely in the character of legal adviser to the lady’s family.”
A great deal of public indignation has been caused in consequence of the removal of Miss Wood, under certificates, to an asylum, and the circumstance has given rise to a number of letters in the various newspapers on the lunacy law; the majority of these letters contain erroneous misrepresentations of our Act, and so the public generally might be misled. The opinion now current and expressed in our public journals is, that for a person to be placed in an asylum he must be ” dangerous to himself or others.” This is a strange interpretation of our statute; and as the question relative to Miss Wood being in a dangerous state was mooted in the House of Commons, it is our intention to make a few remarks on the matter.
In a case of alleged lunacy people are very fond of expressing their views on the matter, and misquoting our Act. By reference to 16 and 17 Yict. Schedule B, we read, the medical man must state in his certificate ” that the said A. B. is a person of unsound mind, and a proper person to be taken charge of and detained under care and treatment.”
No mention is here made relative to the ” dangerous condition Many persons of weak intellect are at the present time detained in our asylums who cannot be pronounced to be dangerous to themselves or others. These harmless lunatics are quite unable, from mental inca- pacity, to manage themselves or their affairs, and are justly and legally confined. Admitting the popular notion that the person must be ” dangerous,” we at once liberate all our idiots and demented patients. The new-fangled idea is so ridiculous, that further comment is unnecessary.
The Arrest of Miss Wood.?Mr. Dillwyn asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention had been called to the case of the recent arrest in the New Forest of Miss Wood, a person alleged to be a lunatic; and, if so, whether such arrest was made on the ground that she was dangerous to herself or others, and whether such arrest was legal and justifiable.?Mr. Cross: My attention was called to this arrest. I immediately put myself in communication with the Lunacy Commissioners. I ascertained that the certificate which had been given did not warrant a detention in a lunatic asylum. I further communicated with the Lunacy Commissioners, and directed that an enquiry should be made, in order that Miss Wood should be released if they found no necessity for her detention. I am happy to say that this afternoon I have received a note saying that she has been discharged.
A few days afterwards Miss Wood was re-admitted into the asylum on fresh certificates.
” The sending of this unfortunate lady to a lunatic asylum, while her equally insane companions are allowed to roam at large, seems, not un- naturally, to have excited in the minds of the populace an indistinct notion of injustice and oppression. Miss Wood is not possessed of any property, and therefore the placing her under restraint cannot be attributed to any mercenary motive on the part of her friends. As to her unsoundness of mind there can be no mistake, her delusions being of such a character as to leave no doubt as to their insane origin. She believes that she has passed through death, and that God has said she will never die. She sees spirits, and frequently hears the voice of the Almighty addressing her; has several times seen the Saviour in human form, and believes that on one occasion the Holy Ghost descended upon her bed in the shape of three white doves. ” As long, however, as her insanity showed itself only in delusions like these, and as long as her conduct was harmless to herself and others, her friends did not think it necessary to interfere, but when they found her thinly clad, sleeping in bitterly cold weather in a tent partially open to the sky, they naturally thought that her life was imperilled, and most properly took the only steps which were open to them. They accordingly had her insanity certified, and placed her in the Laverstock Asylum. Some in- formality in the certificate necessitated her release. We believe that this has been rectified, andithat this unhappy lady is now where alone she could have any chance of regaining her health.”?Lancet.
11 In the course of comments on the case of Miss Wood, we observe com- plaints that the existing Lunacy Law is in an unsatisfactory condition. An arrest under the present order and certificates ought, it is said, to have only a provisional effect, and no lunatic ought to be permanently imprisoned without a certificate from a medical officer of the Government. But this is exactly what now takes place: every patient is visited by a medical officer of the Government, to wit, a commissioner in lunacy; he can demand a private interview, and will be discharged if found sane. No one is ‘permanently imprisoned’ without such inspection; but if, as some suggest, every patient is to be inspected by a commissioner immediately after admission, commissioners will have to be appointed by the hundred, for the admissions amount to many thousands; and we question whether the tax-payer would approve of the arrangement.”?British Medical Journal.
DANGEROUS LUNATIC AT LARGE.
Alarming Incident in a Church.?The Catholic Apostolic Church in Albury was the scene of a very unpleasant and alarming occurrence on Sunday last. During the Communion service a young man rushed into the pulpit, demanding to be heard upon some personal grievance of which it seems he imagines himself to be the victim; and upon being requested to withdraw he drew a sword from under his coat, and flourished it in the air in an excited manner, threatening anyone who should dare to approach him. Upon further remonstrance he produced a loaded pistol from his pocket, which he declared he would fire at the officiating minister if anyone inter- fered with him. After he had remained for some time in this threatening attitude, some persons succeeded in arresting his attention for a moment, and a gentleman who had for some time parried his sword cuts with his umbrella, rushed up the steps of the pulpit and secured him, not, however, until he had received a severe cut on the back of the hand. The young man, who proved to be the Rev. John Symes, of the Irish Episcopal Church, and was staying with his friends, members of the above congregation, was removed to the vestry, and thence to the residence of Mr. Reginald Bray, the county magistrate, at Shere, where he was examined by two medical men, Dr. Capron and Mr. Fisher, and on their certificates, and a warrant signed by the Duke of Northumberland and Mr. Bray, he was removed, under the care of Superintendent Parkes,to Guildford, as a dangerous lunatic, pending arrange- ments for his removal to Brookwood Asylum. He wore an orange sash under his great-coat, and on examination the sword was found to have been recently pointed and sharpened, and the pistol capped and loaded with ball. We give this case as an illustration of what may happen from allowing dangerous lunatics to be at large.
” Lunacy in Yorkshire.?At the Sheffield Quarter Sessions, Lord Wharncliffe laid before the Court the Report of the Visiting Committee of the Wadsley Asylum. It contained some startling statements respecting the increase of lunacy in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The asylum was erected two or three years ago at Wadsley, near Sheffield, to relieve the already overcrowded asylum at Wakefield. It was capable of providing accommodation for nearly 1,000 patients, and it was believed that this would be sufficient for some years to come. The Committee, however, now reported that lunacy was increasing at the rate ,of 150 a year, and that the whole of the available space in the asylum would be occupied in sixteen months. This being so, they recommended that a detached block of buildings should be erected on the asylum estate to accommodate 250 more men, and that a similar block should also be erected to accommodate a like number of women. The report was adopted.”?Lancet.
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