tainly not to be found in the general or special hospitals of this metropolis. It might be truly said that means were not afforded to the members of the profession for qualifying themselves for the duties they were called upon to perform in domestic life, and in civil and criminal courts, in the questions that continually arose in reference to insanity. The consequence was, that they were far from being so highly prepared as the bearings of this disease upon many of the most important interests of society rendered desirable. Dr. Webster had certainly omitted much that was required for the complete study of insanity; but when Mr. Solly alluded to his omitting to describe the colour of the hemispherical ganglia, or, more popularly speaking, of the cineritious exterior of the cerebral lobes, knowing the belief which Mr. Solly entertained of this part comprising a series of ganglia, each performing separate and independent functions, and not being a single organ, he felt disposed to ask, why, in the account of his dissections at Hanwell, Mr. Solly had spoken of the cineritious structure generally, and without any attempt to localize its morbid appearances. On several occasions he had seen the morbid appearances of the cineritious structure localized. In puerperal mania of rapid termination, the point of the posterior lobe had acquired a much deeper colour; and in many instances, where the convolutions were carefully unfolded, one after another morbid changes of colour and structure would be detected, that would otherwise escape observation. And here chemical and microscopical investigation promised to be useful. It was, however, in that stage of insanity which was most interesting to the family medical attendant that these communications were most defective. He meant, the approach and incipiency of insanity-that stage in which the disease was most amenable to medicinethat to which Dr. Winslow had given the term of incubation. He had heard, with pleasure, the distinction pointed out by Dr. Sutherland, of centric and excentric cases-a distinction of great practical value, as he believed the excentric, as in other nervous diseases, were more easy of cure. As an illustration of this, he would mention the rapid removal, in many cases, of the excitement and delusions of delirium tremens by the influence of opium on the stomach and intestines. He might also adduce, as proofs, the cases of curable insanity connected with uterine disease, which Dr. Lever had recently brought before the profession. He himself considered that the foundation of intemperance and insanity, in after life, in females, was often laid by the prevailing opinion, that vaginal and uterine discharges always indicated weakness, and a state of system requiring stimulation and fermented liquors. Great caution was required before removing them by local means. He thought Government must, at no distant period, insure the means and enforce the study of insanity upon the profession generally, since all were called upon to perform duties connected with it. In conclusion, he alluded to the set which had for some time past been made against doctors, by the higher grades of lawyers, in reference to generally-received opinions upon insanity. He would say, that if it was the province of their profession to hinder crime from escaping punishment, by simulating insanity, it was the high calling of ours to prevent insanity from being visited and treated as crime.

Dr. SIBSON said it was remarkable that in Dr. Webster's paper so few es of rumollissement or of induration had been enumerated. The blood at had been found in some cases, the fluid in others, and in others, again, the thickening of the arachnoid and pia mater, were the most commonly observed changes which were found in cases of diseases in which insanity was not present. He regarded the chemical results as the most definite in this inquiry. But we need not look at the brain only in our investigations

into the pathology of insanity. The internal organs required to be examined also. The effects of conformation had their influence in the production of this disease. The condition of the stomach, the uterus, and of the heart, required to be looked to. He considered that at the present moment we were not in a condition to say that we had been able to trace a clear and distinct connexion between the brain and insanity; at all events, all the changes which had been enumerated, might exist in the brains of those in whom insanity had not been present; and when met with in the brains of the insane, he thought they were only the consequences of the insanity. Besides the inquiries into the effects of climate, and the other points mentioned by Dr. Sutherland and Dr. Webster, he thought we should extend our observations to the texture of the skin, the hair, &c. Muscular conformation, the size of the lungs, the power of the heart, the condition of the abdominal organs, and of the digestive apparatus ; indeed, the state of every limb and of every fibre in the body constituted an element of inquiry in cases of insanity.

Dr. WEBSTER remarked, as it seemed to be implied from the observations of previous speakers, that he had omitted to notice the symptoms and treatment of mental diseases, he must state, to prevent any misconception of his object in the present communication, that this was done purposely, his remarks being confined to the causes and consequences of the above class of affections. The subject was too extensive to admit of any other proceeding; and in respect of the remarks made by Dr. Sibson as to temperament, physical conformation, colour of the hair, texture of the skin, and so forth, these points had by no means been overlooked by psychologists; on the contrary, great attention had been recently given to similar inquiries, and much valuable information thereon collected. Some physicians have also even shown that the colour of the eyes was important; and M. Foville, recently physician to the asylum at Charenton, but from which he was displaced by the late red republican government, considered the configuration and structure of the external ear as often indicative of insanity. This peculiar appearance of the ear, M. Foville had pointed out to him, (Dr. Webster,) when lately visiting Charenton, and he had since seen the same thing in this country; indeed, it had been noticed by others previously. The observation of Dr. Sibson respecting the importance of studying the connexion of symptoms with the pathological appearances met with after death, could not be over-rated; and although nothing was said in the paper, for the reasons already adduced, there could not be any doubt respecting the advantages of such an inquiry, and he hoped subsequent investigators would supply this deficiency. Reverting again to the causes producing insanity, it might be interesting to state, that intemperance, owing to the improved habits of the people in this country, did not seem to be so frequent an exciting cause of that malady, as formerly; on the other hand, the now prevalent habit of smoking tobacco had very much taken the place of intoxicating drinks; and in America, where intemperance, chewing opium, and smoking, were enumerated amongst the causes producing mental disease, considerable attention had recently been directed to the subject. In his (Dr. Webster's) opinion, this filthy custom was most injurious, as well to body as mind; and whether intoxication was produced by spirits, opium, or by tobacco, all were abominations, and he believed physicians, conversant with mental maladies, were every day becoming more and more convinced of the bad effects arising from this narcotic weed; whilst in some asylums its use amongst the lunatics was strictly prohibited. If he (Dr. Webster) did not farther advert to other points connected with the subject under discussion, it was not through

want of inclination, but from the desire to confine his remarks to questions mooted in the present communication. However, as the study of insanity was now assuming the place in medical education which its great impor tance deserved, he had not a doubt but in due time every information would be supplied by the diffusion of sound practical knowledge.

THE NEW COUNTY ASYLUM FOR MIDDLESEX,
COLNEY HATCH.

THE crowded state of the Hanwell Asylum, the daily applications for the admission of new patients, which are necessarily refused, the number of pauper lunatics scattered through the different work houses of the metropolis and its neighbourhood, have at length rendered the erection of another asylum for the county of Middlesex no longer a matter of choice, but of imperative necessity; for although several parishes somewhat selfishly held meetings and drew up petitions against the proposed measure, which they objected to on account of the increased assessment of the county rates thereby rendered necessary, still the cause of humanity has triumphed, and the foundation-stone of the Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum was laid on the 8th of May, by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, in the presence of the Lord Mayor of London, the Lord-Lieutenant of the County, a numerous body of magistrates, and an august assemblage of noblemen and gentlemen.

The site selected for the new asylum is within a mile of the village of Southgate, at Colney Hatch, within the parish of Friern Barnet, about ten miles north of the metropolis. The situation is airy and healthful, the surrounding scenery cheerful, and perhaps, as beautiful as may be found in any part of the county; it will also have the advantage of being adjacent to one of the stations of the Great Northern Railway, which is now in course of construction. The building, we are informed, will be in the modern style of Italian architecture; and it is expected that it will be completed, and ready for the reception of lunatics, by Michaelmas, 1850.

The attention which has during the last few years been paid to the subject of lunacy-the psychological and pathological investigations which have only recently rendered this study a recognised and legitimate branch of medical science-the improvements which have been introduced in all the practical details of the treatment of the disease-and especially the opportunities we now enjoy of comparing many admirable institutions of the kind with each other both at home and abroad-these, and a variety of other considerations, induce us to expect that this new asylum will be built upon the most approved principles, and that it will combine within its walls all the advantages which our present advanced state of knowledge and practical experience can command. Not only do we apply these remarks to the architectural structure and plan of the building, but to its internal organization, medical and moral. And here we are struck, in limine, with one important fact-the average number of pauper lunatics in the county of Middlesex is stated to be 2400, and the disease is with the population notoriously progressive. If, therefore, 1000 patients be located at Hanwell, and accommodation be provided at Colney Hatch, even for the remaining 1400, there will still, it is to be feared, be in a very few years, a surplus number of pauper lunatics encumbering their respective parishes. We entertain, therefore, some doubt whether such enormous establishments are expedient, and whether district lunatic asylums, capable of holding 500 patients each, would not be more desir

able. Hanwell was, in the first instance, designed to admit only 300 patients; the building was afterwards extended, at an enormous expense, so as to enable it to receive the present number of inmates; and we feel very much inclined to predict that a similar fate, notwithstanding the extent of the accommodation contemplated, will await Colney Hatch Asylum. It occurs also to us that there are many objections to so vast a number of patients being congregated under one roof. The extreme length of the new building, we are informed, is to be 1883 feet 6 inches; its extreme breadth, in the centre, 143 feet 10 inches; and there will be wings on the right, for females, in length 586 feet 6 inches; and on the left, wings for men, in length 500 feet 6 inches. We are well aware that the male will be separated, as at Hanwell, from the female department; but we cannot help thinking that it would have been better for each sex to have been located in a distinct and separate building. If the Com missioners in Lunacy find it expedient, for moral considerations, not to license any more houses for male and female patients of the better classes conjointly, but insist that such establishments shall be appropriated exclusively to the one or other sex, how much more reason, à fortiori, is there for having pauper male and pauper female lunatics located in separate asylums? We know that notwithstanding the interposition of walls between the two departments in these large buildings, irregularities are said to arise from having the two sexes under one roof.

One of the great inconveniences in Hanwell is the great circular stone staircase in the centre of the building, and other staircases and steps, which are, for many reasons, clumsy, if not dangerous, which will, it is stated, be avoided in the new asylum, by the basement story being approached by a corridor going down to it upon an inclined and level plane, which will supersede the necessity of steps. The proportion also between single cells and dormitories should be well considered. There are certain cases in which the separate cell system is advantageous to the patient; but it should not be forgotten that solitude, even during the hours of night, is in many other cases very objectionable. The disposition of the lunatic upon the invasion of his malady, is generally to be anti-gregarious; and to make him associate with his fellow-men, and draw his mind out of the cloudy solitariness in which it preys upon its own delusions, is one of the most obvious indications of cure. Besides which, during the silent hours of night, in the solitary cell, patients will often indulge in vices which the presence of their fellow-patients in a dormitory may check. We do not, of course, refer to inveterate case, in which every mode of control is sometimes set at defiance; but we affirm that the single cell system, in the beginning of this malady, is favourable to the indulgence of this morbid propensity, at a time when the moral sense of doing wrong is susceptible of being influenced by the presence of those around, and that a dormitory is therefore preferable for such patients. It is alleged, we are aware, that the atmosphere must in every dormitory become, during the night, impure, but all we can say is, they "manage these things better in France;" if the ceiling be lofty, and the ventilation good, no such unpleasant consequences would arise. Moreover, it is well observed by the Commissioners in Lunacy in their Report in 1844, that the dormitories in many of the county asylums "accord better with the pauper's previous habits than sleeping alone in a solitary cell, with a single window; and the companionship of others in the same room does not seem to interfere with their nightly rest. We rarely (they continue to observe) visit a licensed house without asking some of the patients how they sleep at night, and we are generally answered that they sleep well. These persons almost invariably occupy

sleeping-rooms containing several beds. In many good licensed houses, also, private patients of a superior class frequently sleep, to the number of four or five, or even more, in separate beds, in the same room. Upon the whole, we are of opinion that dormitories containing several beds are much preferable as a general arrangement to cells or single-bedded rooms, although a limited number of the latter is doubtless necessary in every large asylum for the use, amongst others, of violent, noisy, and mischievous patients, and for such as are labouring under a paroxysm." Our own experience and observations accord with these remarks of the Commissioners; besides which, it might be added, that dormitories are the safest for suicidal patients, with whom the constant presence of companions has a sanative effect.

While it is promised that the external aspect of the new asylum will present us with a cheerful Italian style of architecture, the internal walls will not, we hope, be permitted to remain so dead and prison-like as those we find at present in our public asylums. The plain whitewashed surface surely would admit of some little decoration or relief, even by being papered, as also the corridors and passages, which are as blank and cheerless in many asylums as those in the interior of Newgate itself. There is another and a still more important object which, we trust, will be kept steadily in view. The dreary interior of these buildings seems to accord well with the notion that their unfortunate inmates are inaccessible to happier impressions and associations from surrounding objects, and that they therefore are consigned as absolutely incurable to the

"Vast lazar-house of many woes,

Where laughter is not mirth, nor mirth the mind,

Nor words a language, nor even men mankind."

But we would fain hope that these gloomy days have passed away, and that the new county asylum of Colney Hatch will be essentially a curative institution, and provided above all things with an efficient medical staff. Indeed, now that the progress of mental and cerebral pathology has clearly demonstrated that insanity is, in its early stages, as curable as any other disease incident to humanity, we anticipate that, with the advantages which this asylum can command, it will soon acquire an European reputation. With this anticipation in our mind, we return to the imposing ceremony, the details of which it is our pleasing duty to record as a matter of history. On the 8th May, 1849, his Royal Highness Prince Albert arrived at Colney Hatch, a few minutes after twelve o'clock, and was received by the Lord Lieutenant of the County, the Marquis of Salisbury, the Lord Mayor, Sir James Duke, the county magistrates, Benjamin Rotch, Esq., and Henry Pownall, Esq., and a large number of the county magistracy, and clergymen and gentlemen of the district. A procession was then formed, and the Prince was conducted to his seat opposite the stone. On raised benches around him were a large number of ladies and gentlemen, who gave his Royal Highness a most enthusiastic reception. It may be stated, that the foundation-stone of the new institution has one peculiarity, which is, that instead of being hidden from sight, it will henceforth form one of the principal features in the entrance hall. It is a large piece of freestone, having on its front a magnificent sculptured marble entablature, with the following inscription:

"This foundation-stone was laid by Field-Marshal his Royal Highness Prince Albert, K.G., her Majesty's Consort, on the 8th day of May, A.D. 1849, and in the 12th year of the reign of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria. May God bless this work of charity.