Dundee Royal Lunatic Asylum

[maddymoss]

My g.grandfather’s brother died in Dundee Royal Lunatic Asylum in 1893 of ‘General Paralysis of the Insane’ He was aged 38. In the 1891 census he was working as a miner and living with his wife in Lanarkshire where, like the rest of his family, he’d lived all his life.

I’ve read something of the condition and often wondered how he ended up in Dundee Royal and not in a hospital in Lanarkshire or Glasgow.

[Montrose Budie]

Hi Maddymoss

You need to have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_pa ... the_insane .

mb

[Russell]

Hi Maddymoss

Look at the topic 'Glasgow to Newmachar' which addressed the same sort of topic with fascinating results.
Sometimes there was extreme pressure on beds in some asylums especially where long term care would be needed. It could also be that Dundee was prepared to offer a form of treatment which was not generally available.

Russell

[steiner]

Hi

I had similar situation with a "Glasgow" relative in 1928/29.

The records of Royal Liff are available. I contacted the Hospital at Liff and got details of treatment etc. The other details were pretty much as those on the death certificate. My relative was buried locally in big Dundee cemetery.

Andy

[maddymoss]

Hi all,

Thanks for your advice. I've sent off an email to the archives department. Hopefully the answer will be productive,

Thanks.

[Currie]

Hello Maddymoss,

I thought you and others may be interested in these 1893 reports on Dundee Royal Asylum as contained in Parliamentary Papers.

1894 [C.7468] Thirty-sixth annual report of the General Board of Commissioners in Lunacy for Scotland.

DUNDEE ROYAL ASYLUM,
9th March 1893.
There are 379 patients, all certificated, at present on the register of the asylum. Of these, 33 men and 42 women are private patients, and 117 men and 187 women are paupers.
One private female patient is absent on pass, and 2 pauper male patients are absent by escape.-
The following statement shows the changes which have taken place since the date of last visit:—

Admitted: Private 15M, 12F; Pauper 45M, 61F; Total 133.
Discharged Recovered: Private 4M, 8F; Pauper 13M, 21F; Total 46.
Discharged Unrecovered: Private 4M, 4F; Pauper 13M, 23F; Total 44.
Dead: Private 1M, 1F; Pauper 13M, 11F; Total 26.

In the cases of 19 of the 26 patients who died a post-mortem examination, was made.
Four of the deaths are registered as due to general paralysis, 12 as due to organic brain disease, and 4 as due to heart disease. Phthisis and lung affections have not appeared frequently among the causes of death. One of the deaths was due to suffocation from the impaction of food in the pharynx in the case of a general paralytic.
There is no entry in the Register of Restraint and Seclusion. Indeed, there has been no entry in this register since October 1889.
Two of the attendants and servants have been dismissed, and 29 have resigned. The dismissals did not follow grave faults.
Five escapes are registered. Two of these have been already referred to.
Five accidents are recorded. Four of them were of a trifling character, but one ended fatally, being the case of suffocation which has already been mentioned.
The farm of Whitelawston is now fully in the possession of the asylum. It has been taken on a 19 years' lease at £2 per acre, and consists of 150 acres.
The asylum will thus have about 200 acres under cultivation. The acquisition of this additional land will prove a great benefit to the patients, and also, it is hoped, an advantage financially to the asylum.
There are 18 boarders—10 men and 8 women—at present in the asylum at the charge of parishes in Lanarkshire. It is understood that the establishment could give accommodation to a few more men.
There was lately a very successful theatrical performance, which was much enjoyed by a large number of the patients.
A greater attention to tidiness and smartness in the clothing of the women would be an advantage to them. Attention was drawn to this matter in the last entry.
Important and very satisfactory changes have been made on some of the urinals on the male side, and also on some of the water-closets.
The day rooms and dormitories were everywhere clean, fresh, and in good order.
The books and registers were examined, and were found to be carefully and correctly kept.


DUNDEE ROYAL ASYLUM,
7th June 1893.
There are 379 patients at present in the asylum. Besides those resident there are 1 male and 3 female pauper patients on the register. The patients on the register consist of 37 male and 40 female private patients, and 115 male and 191 female pauper patients.
The following changes have taken place since the visit made on 9th March:

Admitted: Private 5M, 3F; Pauper 20M, 24F; Total 52.
Discharged Recovered: Private 0M, 1F; Pauper 6M, 10F; Total 17.
Discharged Unrecovered: Private 0M, 2F; Pauper 8M, 7F; Total 17.
Dead: Private 1M, 2F; Pauper 8M, 3F; Total 14.

The deaths are registered as due in 8 cases to diseases of the brain and nervous system, in 2 cases to diseases of the lungs; in 2 cases to cancer, in 1 case to pyaemia, and in 1 case to suffocation during an epileptic fit. Post-mortem examinations were made in 10 cases. The average age at death was 50 years.
Neither mechanical restraint nor seclusion has been used for several years in the treatment of the patients in this asylum, and the register as usual contains no entry. There have been 3 cases of escape in which the patients were absent for at least one night before being brought back. The Register of Accidents contains 1 entry. It refers to fracture of the femur in the case of a female patient, who threw herself over a stair railing.
Fourteen attendants and servants have resigned, and 12 have been engaged.
The exceptional fineness of the weather during the present year has been beneficial to the patients in permitting them to have the advantage of abundant occupation and exercise in the open air. The additional sources of occupation furnished by the farm of Whitlawston have also been of great use in the treatment of the male patients. Everything which introduces interesting occupation into the routine of asylum life is beneficial to the patients, and it is noted with satisfaction that recreation in the shape of in-door and out-door games receives much attention.
The improvement of the attendants and nurses by systematic instruction, in the form of lectures by Dr Rorie and in other ways, has been carried on during the past winter. Seven of the attendants have successfully passed the examination for the certificates of the Medico-Psychological Association. It is also recorded with approval that the asylum is being taken advantage of as a place for medical education, several gentlemen having been resident for short periods as clinical assistants. This is attended with benefit, both to the public and to the patients in the asylum.
The wards were everywhere found clean and in good order. A great improvement is being made by the removal of old waterclosets, which were of an unsatisfactory kind, and replacing them by good wash-out apparatus. New sinks are also being introduced, and the floors in these parts of the house are being laid with tiles. It is understood that these improvements are to be made throughout the establishment.
The supply of water is reported to be better, and further improvement is expected when the operations at present in progress for cleaning the pipes which were obstructed by deposit have been completed.
It is understood, with much pleasure, that the financial position of the institution is rapidly improving, and it is hoped that the Directors may soon be able to make the asylum complete in those directions in which it is recognised as still deficient. Improved hospital accommodation and a chapel may be mentioned as two additions which should be made when opportunity offers.
The books and registers were examined, and found correctly kept.

Alan

[maddymoss]

Alan,

Thanks for your extremely interesting information. It gives me an insight into conditions of the asylum. I suppose the report is accurate. Everything seems so well managed for the period. I notice the presence there of 10 men and 8 women from Lanarkshire 'at the charge of parishes in Lanarkshire'. No doubt my g.g.uncle was one of them.

Looking at the dates of the reports suggests that these were compiled quarterly. Would that be correct? If so, my g.g.uncle's death in December 1893 would have been noted for March 1894.

Once again, thanks for the info.

Maddymoss.

[Currie]

Hello Maddymoss,

There seem to be only two reports per asylum per year published in the Parliamentary Papers. Inspection was a statutory requirement but there were several categories of institution and perhaps the odd spacing of inspections was to do with workload. For example in 1893 Glasgow visits were January and May, while in 1894 Barony Parochial was January and October.

The 37th Annual report in PP’s has the inspections of Dundee Royal done in March and in July 1894. In the March report, since the last visit, undated, there had been 25 deaths of which two were private patients. Brain disease accounted for 14, Liver cancer 2, and one each for heart disease, erysipelas, oedema of the lungs, phthisis, rupture of the bladder, pneumonia, senile decay, syncope, and marasmus. In 22 cases a post mortem examination was made. 21 staff had resigned and 15 were dismissed, of which 4 were for striking patients and 2 for drunkenness.

I’m not sure, but I think that PPs are included in the NLS databases available online from home.

All the best,
Alan

[maddymoss]

I received a reply from the archivist of Dundee University today. Apparently, my g.g.uncle was admitted to Dundee Royal Insane Asylum in January 1893 and died December the same year. His case notes and, wonder of wonders, a photograph are available and can be copied and emailed to me. Not having a photograph of that generation of the family before but finally acquiring one is something I never imagined.

My thanks to all who helped to bring my query to a successful conclusion.

Thanks,
maddymoss

[Russell]

Hi Maddymoss

That's fantastic. A photograph kind of rounds out your information about an ancestor doesn't ?

The archivist in Dundee seems to be very approachable and helpful. I wonder if he is into genealogy

Russell