Patients who
could not be cured were released. But an
outpouring of public sympathy enabled further
wards to be built for the incurable so
that they could be put back in.
It was a money making business. Families had to pay a fee and
establish that their mad family member was also poor.
Bedlam became a tourist attraction; Samuel
Pepys took his two nephews on a day out. It was argued that tourists not only provided fees but their visits
helped to supervise the inmates.
There was
competition in the asylum business from the York Retreat established in 1796
by the Quakers who had no medical training and tried kindness, which was quite
successful.
In 1815, an enquiry
found inmates who were kept in cells semi-naked with
just a blanket. It was explained
that these were the incontinents,
clothing just made matters worse. Also, one American sailor was said to have
been locked in a cage for 10 years as he
had wrists too thin for manacles. In fact, it was 9
years, it was not a cage, it was a cell,
his arms were pinned to his side and a chain was around his neck so that he
could be dragged nearer to the cell door
for inspection and other purposes.
In 1845, parliament appointed Lunacy Commissioners
to oversee asylums.
In 2004, parliament appointed a Legal Services Commissioner to oversee lawyers. We had hoped for kindness.
Sponsored by Brennans solicitors |
No comments:
Post a Comment