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Portion of an Architectural drawing of the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum dated 1879.
Queensland State Archives Item ID 580536
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We often get the best insights into the running of institutions, like asylums, from authors from outside the system. Much of the official reporting is terse and focuses on either the provision of statistics or brief reporting of facts. Patients (or inmates) are rarely given a voice. Even today some of the internal communications are ‘out of bounds’ to the curious public. For this reason I am again publishing a series of reflections on the functioning of the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum, this time from a reporter to the Brisbane Courier in 1884. The author provides a layman’s view of what he sees and therefore, provides not just insight into the asylum itself but also the cultural context in which the asylum exists
The three articles that appeared in the Brisbane Courier in 1884, are
- A VISIT TO WOOGAROO. (1884, May 30). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 5. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3430583
- A VISIT TO WOOGAROO.—II. (1884, May 31). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 5. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3430638
- A VISIT TO WOOGAROO.—III. (1884, June 3). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 5. Retrieved February 16, 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3430700
The text is unchanged with the exception of some reworked paragraphing and the addition of headings to aid navigation.
A VISIT TO WOOGAROO - I
Arriving unannounced
Goodna! Such was the cry of a sleepy-voiced porter who opened the carriage door and flashed a lantern in my eyes. I roused myself and looked out. The other occupants of the carriage were wrapped in the arms of Morpheus and were evidently going on to Ipswich, so I gathered up my belongings and got out. On the platform were a guard, a porter and a small man in a big coat, who appeared to be someone in authority. With the exception of one or two flickering lamps the station was quite dark. No one took any notice of me and I walked the length of the train down the platform. A parcel or two was thrown out, the guard exchanged a few words with the little man, the engine gave a weak whistle, and in a few moments the red lights at the rear of the train disappeared with increasing speed round the curve, and I was left feeling helpless and forlorn on the platform. I had telegraphed to Dr Scholes, the superintendent of Woogaroo, my intention of coming down by the last train, and it was now past midnight and not a soul from the Asylum was there. I did not even know on which side of the station that institution lay. I appealed to the little man, who evidently regarded me with contempt and suspicion. "The Asylum? Oh, the Asylum's over there;" indicating vaguely with a jerk of his thumb the country generally, that lay on the opposite side of the platform. I looked in that direction and saw a few scattered lights extending over a considerable distance. " But where does Dr Scholes live?" I asked "Dunno." " I expected him to have sent somebody to meet me." " Oh, you want to go there to-night? Yes, there is a telegram for him lying in the office there ; he'll get it right enough in the morning." He then proceeded to inform me that my telegram arrived too late to go to the Asylum that night, and explained that in the daytime a signal was hoisted when telegrams or letters arrived, and they sent over from the Asylum for them. I considered for a while. The wind was very cold, and, though unexpected, there was no other course for me than to knock somebody up at Woogaroo. " How far is the Asylum?" " 'Bout half a mile ; I'm going in that direction myself, and will see you part of the way." I thankfully accepted his offer, and we crossed the platform, passed through a wicket gate, and went along a track, apparently through a paddock, in the direction of the lights. After some five minutes' walking we emerged on to a road with a few scattered houses on each side. Here my guide said he must leave me." See those lights ? Well, the Asylum stretches all along there." He did not know at which end the doctor lived, but said there were a number of houses all scattered about. He told me to keep straight along the road till I came to a winding road on the left I was to follow this till I crossed a bridge, and then I would find myself in Woogaroo. Having thanked him for his information, I said good-night and went on my way, though, as there was no moon, the night was pitch-dark. I determined to knock at the door of the first house in which I saw a light, and by that means hoped to be directed in the right way. On turning down the road on the left I noticed on the left-hand side, across a kind of ditch, a strong palisade about 10ft high standing out clearly against the sky. This was the first indication I had of my where-abouts, and I wondered if all the grounds were palisaded round, and if so how should I get in. I soon came to the bridge and to a gate, which to my delight, opened readily enough I made for the first light I could see, following the road. The light came from inside a kind of passage, leading to a square block of buildings guarded by stout bars and a massive gate. On the left was a trellised veranda. From inside came the most unearthly noises, noises that made my flesh creep, bursts of loud mean-ingless laughter, snatches of songs broken off in the middle, demoniac yells, and now and then a wailing cry " This, then is a madhouse. Outside the scene was fair enough. In the darkness I could see the shadowy forms of trees, the station lights twinkling in the distance, the faint glimmer of the white roadway at my feet, and overhead the stars, while the wind had fallen, and all was calm and peaceful. Before me were the for-bidding bars and the sickly light of the lamp while from within the building the confused discord of hideous sounds filled my soul with pity and with horror. There was no knocker and no bell. I rapped at the gate with my knuckles in a half-hearted kind of way, and could not resist the hideous idea that if a warder came I should be taken for an escaped lunatic, clapped into a strait waistcoat, and turned in among the unfortunate creatures within. I determined to try somewhere else, and gladly turned my back upon that house of horrors. Retracing my steps, I soon struck the main road, and walked onwards to a small house, in which a light gleamed through a curtained window. I stepped on to the veranda, but started back in terror, for a dog in the corner suddenly exploded in a tremendous volley of barks. The dog, however, made no attempt to molest me, and I went to the window and knocked repeatedly. At last I succeeded in knocking up a burly and good-natured warder who listened to my tale, came out in his nightshirt and directed me to the Doctor's house, which was about a couple of hundred yards further, on the opposite side of the road. Then too I had to run the gauntlet of a bevy of dogs, but succeeded at length in arousing the Doctor, who opened the door and speedily made me forget my troubles. He laughed heartily at my fruitless efforts to discover his domicile, and after certain creature comforts had been attended to showed me to my room, when I turned in and slept the sleep of the just, but not without contrasting my position with the hapless inmates of the building I had first attempted to enter.
Accompanying the superintendent on his rounds
After breakfast in the morning Dr. Scholes invited me to accompany him on his rounds as being the best way of observing the internal economy of the establishment, and we left the house proceeding in the direction in which I came the night before. We soon arrived at the square block of buildings which I had first noticed and which Dr. Scholes informed me comprised the offices and four wards for the male patients. The noises I had heard proceeded from ward No. 1, in which the most violent of the lunatics are placed. Detached from the main building are the offices, which consist mainly of the superintendent's office, the library, the clerk's office, and the surgery. In Dr. Scholes's office a cheerful fire was burning, and I sat down and waited until he had dispatched his ordinary routine work before doing the daily rounds. This work consisted in seeing the chief attendant, Mr Hamilton, and laying out the work for the day and receiving from him a numerical return of the patients in the various wards of the asylum, a return prepared from the ward reports of the senior night attendants and nurses. The superintendent also sees the steward, opens correspondence, hears complaints, &c., and by half past 9 sets out on his tour of inspection, accompanied by the chief attendant.
At half past 9 then I accompanied the superintendent on his rounds. The first place we visited was ward No. 1 in the male division, where the most violent of the lunatics were generally kept. This ward adjoins the offices. The chief attendant unlocked a door, and we were shown into a large yard, with a covered kind of shed in the centre, open all round — that is to say, it had a roof but no walls — and in fine weather most of the patients in this ward had their meals here. The patients were all collected together for inspection, together with their warders. Many were sitting looking sullen and sad — men who would not look up or take the slightest notice of visitors, nor even of the superintendent as he passed round with a friendly word or question, addressing each man by his name. Others were bright and pleasant, who answered cheerfully any questions that were put to them, and volunteered plenty of information on their own account.
In this ward there were a number of coloured men, chiefly Chinese. Conspicuous among these was a coolie — one of the first introduced into the colony by the Hon. Gordon Sandemann. This man was a merry-looking fellow enough, whose invariable remark was, " Well, pig ? " Well, dog ?" and the like. Another coloured man — a Chinaman — was most morose and savage. He absolutely declined to have anything to do either with the superintendent or the attendants. When spoken to he would draw himself savagely back and shout out, "No savvy." At first, seeing but one or two attendants and forty or fifty of these maniacs, with the unfettered use of their hands, I did not feel particularly comfortable, but soon became accustomed to it, as I noticed the complete control over the patients the attendants seemed to possess, a control that I am convinced is moral rather than physical, and the result of kindness and firmness combined. The unfortunate creatures are treated like patients instead of prisoners, and in this lies the secret of such harmony in an asylum.
In the muffs
One man I noticed, who had his hands in a kind of leather contrivance, looked particularly miserable. His hands were placed in a kind of leather tube which is jocularly called the "muffs" in the establishment. It is like an exaggerated and elongated muff, and when the hands and arms are in it it is in the same position as a lady's muff. There are attached two straps, with which it is fastened just before each elbow joint. On asking the chief attendant the reason of this he replied, "He would strip himself if left alone." I learnt that this was an efficient though harmless method of confining his arms, and preventing him from doing damage either to himself or others. A number of the more violent patients, if they had the free use of their arms, would rapidly divest themselves of every shred of clothing. One of these "muffs" was brought for my inspection, and as I examined it and placed my arms in it, an unsympathetic lunatic called out, "Put him in them all night, and he'll know more about them in the morning — an unnecessary remark, I may observe, and the truth of which was obvious.
Unrespected privacy
Another man, carrying a volume of Boswell's "Life of Johnson," came up to me and said, "You must not write anything about us; this is a private asylum and belongs to us and not to the public, remember that." He subsequently informed me that the doctor was mad, and any information he gave me was perfectly unreliable. On the whole, I was very much surprised to hear that these were the most violent and dangerous of all the lunatics. Most of them seemed grateful for the slightest attention, and one man to whom I spoke pressed a highly-polished trousers button on me — evidently a treasure. He forced me to accept, and I shall always keep it as a memento of my visit. There were few, if any, complaints in answer to Dr. Scholes's queries, though one or two of the inmates assured me that they were not mad, and one of them warned me that he had come on a visit like me and had been detained ever since.
A VISIT TO WOOGAROO - II
[BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.]
A tour of facilities
On leaving the yard we went into the large dining-room, where the quieter members of No. 1 have their meals. Both floor and tables were spotlessly clean and the patients are made as comfortable as circumstances will allow. Before the fireplace is fixed a strong guard whose iron bars seem needlessly thick. From the dining-room we visited each of the dormitories, and here, as throughout every part of the establishment, the most scrupulous cleanliness and neatness were observable.
All soiled bedding is at once removed, and the utmost care taken to destroy at once any noxious smells. The beds are all thoroughly aired. When the patients retire to rest the clothes they have worn during the day are all removed and placed in neatly folded bundles outside, first having been thoroughly searched, and any articles the patients may have concealed during the day are carefully removed. The bedding, too, is frequently searched for the same reason. The only articles patients are allowed to have in their possession are pipes, tobacco, and handkerchiefs.
A violent maniac
While we were inspecting the dormitories several loud crashes were heard downstairs, quickly followed by a succession of shrill whistles. On reaching the yards we saw that one of the maniacs had suddenly become violent and smashed six panes of glass. The attendants, summoned by the whistle, rushed on him. He resisted violently at first, tearing a large quantity of hair out of one of the attendant's whiskers. However, in the grasp of four powerful warders he was quite helpless, and was carried off at once to one of the single cells, a row of which stood on the other side of the yard. His boots were taken off, and he was placed inside one of the cells and securely locked in. No manacles and no strait waist-coat such as we read about. He was simply put inside and left to his own meditations. Through an aperture in the upper part of the door I looked in and saw the poor fellow lying on the bed, unable to do either himself or anybody else any harm. For outbreaks of this kind no punishment is ever inflicted, and when the sufferer calms down again he is allowed as much liberty and treated in exactly the same manner as before. "Strait waistcoats" I found were not often used, and are the reverse of the instruments of torture that exist in the popular imagination. Imagine a canvas jacket, which opens at the back instead of in front, with the sleeves fastened in the side pockets and there it is. Nor is it uncomfortable to wear. Another plan is to have the arms secured by a band passing round the body above each elbow joint. The only object of this jacket is to restrain the arms of its possessor for the time being. In the whole of the establishment while I was there, with the exception of the case I have described above, no patient was confined in any of the single cells, nor was the canvas jacket in operation.
The facilities tour continues
We next went round the other wards in this division, the individual characteristics of which are similar to those of No. 1. In all there are four male wards in this part of the ground, and two more on the rising ground to the northward beyond the kitchen and laundry. No. 3 ward is very pleasantly situated with a pleasant patch of garden in front. Below the little lawn there is a terrace, and below this again there is the fence built low so as not to interfere with the view from the garden, from which the river, which curves away among thickly-wooded banks to the north and south, is seen in all its beauty.
On the level ground by the river is the kitchen garden, where a plentiful supply of vegetables is grown for the use of the asylum, some of the inmates proving capital market-gardeners. Hopping about the garden is a tame kangaroo, and inside the kitchen and throughout the ward generally was a graceful little wallaby, perfectly tame and as playful as a kitten. In this ward are the more sensible people, many of whom are quite convalescent and not far from their discharge. The buildings here were of rather more modern construction than those we had previously seen, and the rooms very bright and cheerful. On the outside of the ward climbed a thickly-flowering bougainvillea, and the garden wall was covered with a gorgeous mass of begonia.
In the hospital ward, which we next visited, was an old man who has not been known to speak since he entered the asylum. There were one or two patients sitting round the fire, which as usual was protected by a guard, and in an adjacent room two others were in bed. The superintendent examined each of them, and gave directions for their treatment. In this room there are some beds for epileptic patients, not only constructed but invented at Woogaroo. They are fitted with sides which work on hinges. One side is let down while the patient is placed inside and then fastened back again. This simple method prevents the patients from tossing their bedclothes out or falling out of bed.
Adjoining the last ward is the bakehouse, where excellent bread is made. I examined one batch of loaves, and certainly a patient must be very insane indeed to quarrel with the quality of the staff of life in this establishment. We next visited the coach house and sheds. Here might be seen patients engaged in refilling palliasses with straw, and engaged in other occupations. Close by at the blacksmith's shop all kinds of work is done for the asylum. Bedsteads and tools are made, and some of the patients become skilled blacksmiths. In the tailor's shop there were four of the inmates repairing clothes, &c., and using their needles with creditable rapidity.
Passing by the storeroom, we came to the bathroom. Inside there are four large cement baths, fitted with taps and shower baths. The latter are supplied from an enormous tank holding some 20,000 gallons overhead. When the patients are using the bathroom the cemented floor is covered with gratings to protect the feet of the bathers from its chilliness. A few beds have been placed in a room leading into the bathroom, the superintendent having been obliged to put them here owing to the lack of room in other parts of the establishment.
Close by the bathroom is a saw-mill worked by steam and a carpenter's shop, in each of which patients work under instruction. Such things as picture frames, chairs and tables are turned out in a thoroughly workmanlike manner. On our way to the Hill Division, in which Nos. 5 and 6 of the male wards and all the female wards are situated, we passed a dam which has been constructed at the base of the hill. All the water used in the establishment, with the exception of that gathered into tanks from the roof, is supplied from this dam, whence it is forced into an enormous cistern at the highest elevation of the ridge by means of a steam pump. The cistern is of higher elevation than any of the buildings, and consequently the pressure of water is great, and so long as the cistern is well filled the whole of the asylum is supplied with water. On the elevated land to the north stand Nos. 5 and 6 male wards, of more modern construction than the rest, and close by is a sort of bush house which is mainly used for striking plants. The 'possums' here are very destructive, and play great havoc with the plants.
Cooking by Steam
Between the male and female wards are the kitchen and laundry, the former fitted with a complete set of Benhams ranges. All the cooking is done by means of steam, which is generated in a large boiler at the rear. This system is remarkably clean and simple, and reduces the labour of cooking to a minimum, since all the cooks have to do is to turn on a tap and regulate the heat as they please. In the centre of the kitchen is a carving table made of iron, with hollow top and sides, into which steam can be forced at will, and the various articles of food kept hot.
The laundry
Leaving the kitchen, we went into the laundry and here for the first time I saw some of the female patients who are employed in this work. Everything in this laundry is done by steam, and there are many novelties and labour saving appliances, including a centrifugal mangling machine. This is in the shape of a deep hollow basin, into which the wet garments are placed round the sides. When the steam is turned on the basin commences to revolve, increasing in rapidity till the articles of clothing by the pressure of the air are pressed tightly against the sides, so tightly indeed as to express every drop of water, which drains out at the bottom. There is also an artificial drying apparatus for drying clothes by means of hot air, but this is never used except in inclement weather, for, as Dr. Scholes said, "After all, you cannot beat sun and fresh air.” The females, mostly girls, who were working in the laundry, seemed happy and contented enough, and it was often difficult to realise that they were insane. Many of them were laughing and chatting among themselves, and all had a word for the doctor. Attached to the laundry are the ironing and sorting rooms.
Sewing in No 4 Ward
After leaving the laundry we came to No. 6 female ward, not quite finished, and at present unoccupied. When this building is completed it will be as comfortable and convenient as the most dissatisfied superintendent could desire. In No. 4 ward a large number of patients were engaged in sewing, chiefly in repairing clothes. They all seemed very busy and intent on their needles, which popped in and out as deftly as in sane fingers. The others were all gathered together on the veranda for the doctors inspection, and one or two looked very sulky. Some of them were loud in their demands for liberty, and one or two reiterated again and again that they were not mad. This ward was built entirely of zinc.
No 5 Ward
In the No. 5 ward I noticed a young woman sitting still in front of the fire with a young baby at her breast. The infant was healthy, but the mother was mad! The picture was a sad one, and I turned away with relief from the sight. The single cells in this ward are a great improvement on those in the older male wards, being cemented all round, clean, and well ventilated. On inquiry I learnt that there are no padded cells in the institution, and Dr. Scholes says he has never found any occasion for them.
We next visited No. 1, the refractory ward of the female maniacs. Here there was a good deal of noise and various comments were passed upon me as I walked round, much to my discomfiture. One woman rushed up to me and poured into my deafened ear a long tale of the wrongs she had endured in that asylum, while many were clamorous for their liberty. But there was one noticeable feature about all the female wards that particularly struck me, and that was the neatness and cleanliness of all the inmates, and even this refractory ward was no exception to the rule. As Dr. Scholes said, "The men may be good, but the ladies are always better."
The nurses
The nurses in their neat dresses, moving about among the inmates, completed the picture of a model asylum. Each of these nurses as well as the warders is supplied with a whistle, which she has instructions to blow whenever she needs assistance, and on hearing the whistle it is the duty of every assistant to rush at once to the place. The idea is to prevent any struggling by the immediate presence of an overwhelming force, for though a patient might resist one or two warders for some time, when four or six simultaneously seize him he frequently gives in without a struggle. Even if he chose to struggle it would be a very short and harmless one. In the female hospital there were only two patients in bed, and both of them earnestly begged to be allowed to get up, a request which was ultimately granted. In No. 2 ward there was a poor little black girl, not insane, but blind, and a great pet. She had no one to go to and no friends, and is kept in the institution for charity's sake. There were also two little idiot boys, or rather infants, each taken care of and nursed by a patient who, although no relation, exercised a maternal fondness that was pleasing, though pathetic. I left the wards with a sense of relief, glad to be out of the sight of so much misfortune, but greatly enlightened in my views concerning lunatic asylums, which I had always looked upon through glasses tinged with impressions left by reading 'Valentine Vox the Ventriloquist." Thank God such deeds as are written there are things of the past, and in Woogaroo at least these unfortunate creatures have every attention and kindness shown to them
A VISIT TO WOOGAROO - III
[BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.]
Animals at Woogaroo
The superintendent's morning round of inspection generally is not over till after 12, and in this instance it was considerably after mid day when we had inspected all the buildings. On coming out of the last female ward we were met by a noisy crowd of fox terriers, the property of Dr. Scholes, and the pets of everybody. These dogs used at one time to accompany him on his visit through the wards, but since they got into disgrace over hunting the pet kangaroo they have not been allowed to go inside. They followed us that morning to the door of the various buildings, and then ran round to the back and waited till we came out. Woogaroo, besides to a great extent supplying itself with vegetables, possesses extensive piggeries, which are managed so well as to bring in a profit of about £150 a year. Among these are some fine-looking Berkshires, which are confidently expected to "take the cake" at the forthcoming show at Ipswich. On playfully inquiring whether the evil spirits from the lunatics ever entered into this herd of swine, I was sternly and deservedly reproved.
An attempted escape
Passing by the wards after leaving the piggeries, Dr. Scholes stopped a moment to speak to one of the men engaged in doing some outdoor work. One of them, who seemed sane enough to me the doctor especially noticed, and remarked to Mr Hamilton, the chief attendant, "I'm afraid we shall have some more trouble with that man yet." I did not see anything particularly dangerous-looking about him, and indeed would not have known he was a lunatic at all. The doctor's words were verified not long afterwards. We were walking up to the house when we heard the warders' whistles sounding, and looking round saw a man running at full speed across the paddock in the direction of the river with one or two warders after him. The man rapidly distanced his pursuers, but was checked by the water, and not being game to tackle it remained there till the warders came up to him, when he returned with them quietly enough. I saw the same man again at dinner and also at the dance in the evening, where he was as lively as any of them, and dancing away as though the thought of escape had never entered his head. One or two of the lunatics, I was informed, labour under the delusion that Woogaroo is an island, and consequently never attempt to escape. One man who was checked in his flight by the river was highly indignant, as he thought he had a clear course to Brisbane before him. But as a rule those patients who are allowed a large measure of liberty are well known and can be trusted. Dr. Scholes even allows them to go into Brisbane now and then, if they give him their word of honour not to escape, and this confidence is seldom if at all abused. I went round some of the wards while the lunatics were at dinner, which was well cooked, excellent in quality, and there was plenty of it.
Rations
The following are the rations allowed each day :- For males (employed) : Potatoes, 16oz. ; bread, 16oz. ; tea, ⅜oz. ; sugar, 1½oz. ; meat, 16oz. ; milk, 1 gill ; maize meal, 2oz. ; and treacle, 1oz. For males (unemployed) : Bread, 14oz. ; tea, ⅜oz. ; sugar, 1½oz. ; meat, 14oz. ; milk, 1 gill ; maize meal, 2oz. ; treacle, 1oz. ; and potatoes, 16oz. Females : Bread, 14oz. ; tea, ⅜oz. ; sugar, 1½oz. ; meat, 14oz. ; milk, 1 gill ; maize meal, 1½oz. ; treacle, 1oz. ; potatoes, 16oz. Those patients working in the laundry are allowed in addition 2oz. bread, ¾oz. cheese, ⅛oz. tea, ½oz. sugar. Each patient is likewise allowed 4oz. butter weekly, and five days in the week 1oz. rice, barley, or peas meal for soup. On Queen's Birthday and Christmas Day ½lb. flour, ¼lb. raisins, 1oz. suet, and 1oz. sugar are allowed for puddings in addition to the ordinary fare. The dinner is all served out before the patients sit down, and when they take their places they find all their food portioned out and ready for them. In Ward No 1 many of the patients the more violent ones — dine outside, and those whom it would be dangerous to trust with knives or forks have their food minced for them, and eat it with a spoon. This is also the case with epileptic patients, of whom there are a good number — poor creatures who find it difficult, and sometimes almost impossible, to swallow, and are unable to control their movements. Every bone is carefully extracted from their food, which is thoroughly minced to prevent any danger of suffocation.
The tin basin
At one end of the table I noticed a tin basin of custard pudding, and as it was the only one on the table, I asked the doctor who it was for. "Do you see that sly-looking old man at the end of the table? Well, some days ago he took it into his head to starve himself, and persisted in his resolution for some time, so that we had to feed him by means of a stomach pump. One day when there was some of that pudding on the table he secreted it while he thought no one was looking. As soon as the meal was over he stole away, as he thought unobserved, though in reality watched by the attendants When he was out of sight, as he thought, he greedily ate the pudding, threw the basin over the fence, and returned chuckling. And now the pudding is placed there every day for him to steal, and he regularly does so; and this obviates the necessity for a stomach pump."
A post dinner tour
After dinner I again visited the wards with the doctor on his rounds, and then he drove me through most of the very extensive reserve of the asylum, followed as usual by a regular pack of terriers, together with two fine colleys. In the course of conversation I gathered that insanity is not at all the incurable malady that some people suppose, and I was astonished to hear that the cures number no less than 40 per cent of the admissions. Of course, in calculating the proportion of cures, it is manifestly unjust to take into account those who have been a long time in the institution, perhaps even from its initiation, which was before separation took place, and somewhere about the year 1856. I asked whether non intoxicating liquors were allowed, and learned that those who work are allowed half a pint of beer at dinner and about one third of a fig of tobacco. In addition to this, those who are weak or unwell are allowed "medical comforts," a term which is capable of large and generous interpretation. The friends of the patients are allowed to visit them whenever they like, and walk freely with them about the grounds, though, of course, are forbidden to give to the patients any articles not authorised by the hospital regulations.
A suicide
A sad case of suicide happened last year-the only case since the year 1874. A female patient who had been admitted into the asylum in 1881, and who had been twice insane and confined in an asylum in Scotland, evinced very strong symptoms of suicidal mania. Previous to her last admission to Woogaroo she had made several very determined attempts to destroy herself. In one case she swallowed a packet of needles, which had to be extracted from her throat, and in another she set fire to her clothes by holding a portion of her dress between the bars of the fireguard. She became very melancholy, and was watched night and day. On one of her fingers was a whitlow, and the tip in consequence became as hard as stone. One day she furtively bored a hole through her throat with the nail of this finger and penetrated into her gullet, so that milk and any other fluid she drank would spurt out. Thanks to good nursing she recovered from the last self-inflicted injury, and constantly attempted to starve herself, but, of course, without success. On the 11th August, however, she somehow managed to elude the vigilance of the night nurse and made her way to the river bank after climbing the fence. Here the poor creature buried her face in the mud and suffocated herself. This occurred early in the morning. She had stolen quietly out of bed after the nurse, who had visited her previously every five minutes had left.
The general health of the lunatics was excellent, and a visitor can not help being struck with the general cheerfulness and contentment. And for this due credit must be given to Dr. Scholes, whose system of kindness has proved so successful; to Dr Hogg, the assistant medical officer, and last, but not least, Mr Hamilton, the chief attendant. Mr Hamilton is well qualified for his position, having been for fourteen years chief warder at St. Helena. Physically he is the beau ideal of a warder, measuring 48in. round the chest and built in proportion. He is considered by all to be one of the kindest men possible, and is both firm and gentle with the patients, among whom he is very popular. The duties of the principal officers are lightened by an excellent staff of well-trained and well disciplined attendants and nurses.
Altogether a visit to Woogaroo is well worth the trouble of anyone who takes an interest in his or her fellow creatures, and those who go over the institution will, I am sure, share with me the conviction that there at least insanity is robbed of most of its horrors, that those who can be cured are restored to health, and those who are incurable have the remnant of their life cheered and comforted by the unremitting care and attention of those in whose charge they are placed
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