15

H.—B.

adopted with dirty or violent patients on the female side. All such arrangements have a direct tendency to confirm offensive habits in patients. While affording means to the attendants of saving themselves trouble, they at the same time render the patients more and more objects of disgust or fear, and cause them as much as possible to be entirely abandoned to their downward course. The number of inmates was —males, 41; females, 30—total, 71. The entry in the medical journal for 27th November gave the following information: — Males. Females. In restraint In seclusion ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 Confined to bed ... ... ... ... ... 2 Confined to airing court ... ... ... ... 8 ... 7 Wearing locked dresses or boots ... ... ... 2 ... 4 Unemployed ... ... ... ... ... 11 ... 12 Do not join in recreation ... ... ... ... 7 ... 8 Do not wash, dress, or feed themselves ... ... 5 ... 5 Of wet or dirty habits ... ... ... ... 7 ... 6 This statement was found to be inaccurate. It was ascertained that an idiot boy of wet and dirty habits was always strapped into his bed at night, and had his hands and feet restrained; and a female patient who is violent and dirty has also, for the last two or three months, been placed under mechanical restraint at night. The Matron states that she had placed this patient under restraint on her own judgment, and could not tell whether the Medical Officer was aware that she had done so or not. The entries of seclusion do not state its duration. Seclusion is evidently resorted to very freely, and without sufficient cause, on the female side, and without always being reported to the Medical Officer or recorded in the journal. Tho proportion of patients who wet their beds is very high, being about a fifth of the whole number. Four of the patients are maintained out of private funds, and are treated, as far as accommodation will permit of, as private patients ; but their position is very unsatisfactory. The great majority of the inmates are demented and incurable. The Medical Officer considers about fifteen of the men and seven of the women to be curable, and this seems a very liberal estimate. There are no regular amusements. None of the attendants or patients are musical, and the Asylum is dependent upon the kindness of amateurs aud professionals for occasional entertainments. These generally consist of a theatrical performance, followed by a dance, which is kept up until 12 o'clock. The public were formerly admitted free, in the expectation that their voluntary contributions would defray the cost of the music and refreshments, but this was not found to be the case. The entertainments are advertised in the newspapers, and tickets of admission are sold for two shillings and sixpence each at various shops. Most of the patients retire before the dance begins. The whole of this procedure is highly objectionable. The diet scale is liberal. The meals in the front wards are tidily served. The patients have earthenware plates, knives and forks, and spoons, and the table is spread with a white cloth. They were several times seen at their meals, which they took in a very quiet and orderly manner. The patients are bathed every Saturday morning in warm water. Each dirty patient gets a fresh supply of water, but five or six of the clean patients are bathed in the same water. Some of the dirty patients get a bath every morning. There is a great deficiency of hot water. Baths are never given as a punishment. There are no hair brushes nor tooth combs on the male side. There are three combs in the front, and two in the back. Vermin are said never to be found in the patients' hair. Tho present staff of officers is—Male: Deputy Keeper at £200 per annum, and five male attendants and one male night attendant at Bs. per diem each, one male cook at £75, assistant at £52. Female : Matron at £225, four female attendants at £50 per annum. The Matron is the widow of the late Keeper, to whom a successor has not yet been appointed. Their joint income at the date of his death was £300, with an allowance of light, fuel, and vegetables, which the Matron still gets. The Deputy Keeper was formerly head attendant at the same salary which he now gets. All the officers, except the Matron, get the same rations as the patients. The Deputy Keeper has no authority on the female side of the house, and is not responsible for its condition ; but it evidently cannot be managed without his assistance, and he virtually occupies the position of Keeper.

Cheistchuech Asylum. Inspected ith, sth, 6th, Ith, Bth, 9th, 11th and 12th December, 1876. The number of patients on the 6th instant was 119 males, 76 females; total, 195. These numbers include two private males and three female inebriates, one man and two women absent on probation, and one man escaped. The Asylum is pleasantly situated at a convenient distance from Christchurch. The land is fifty acres in extent, and is all under cultivation, or laid out in pleasure grounds. Owing to its level nature there is a difficulty in having a proper system of sewerage, which has not yet been overcome. The Asylum consists at present of two portions, the old Asylum, which is built of wood, and which is now occupied by the male patients only; and the new building, which is situated at some distance from this, and is occupied by the women. The old Asylum is an irregular structure, which was begun some years ago, and has been gradually enlarged as the demand for accommodation increased. In the front there is a small block, containing an office and visiting-room, and very inadequate accommodation for the Keeper, and his wife, who acts as Matron, and their family. A long, narrow, passage leads backwards from this to the nondescript quarters occupied by the patients, the recreation hall, and the kitchen, scullery, &c. Most of the building is two storeys high, and the upper storey is used entirely for sleeping-rooms. It is divided into four wards : A, for convalescent patients ; B, for quiet cases ; C, for epileptics and imbeciles ; D, refractory and noisy cases. It is only calculated to afford proper accommodation for about sixty patients, whereas