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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

London County Council 1928

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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Table: 22. Details of the total number of lunatics (excluding male private patients at Claybury Hall) under the care of public authorities in London responsible for dealing with them are as follows:—Table 6.

22. Details of the total number of lunatics (excluding male private patients at Claybury Hall) under the care of public authorities in London responsible for dealing with them are as follows:—

Table 6.

Date.Lunatics under reception orders in County or Borough mental hospitals.Lunatics in M.A.B. mental hospitals.Lunatics in workhouses or with relatives and friends.Total number of lunatics.Annual increase or decrease of
Lunatics under reception orders.Total number of lunatics.
(i)(ii.)(iii.)(iv.)(v.)(vi.)
lst January—IncreaseDecreaseIncreaseDecrease
189010,1045,56669216,362————
190015,1855,77056221,5175,081—5,155—
191019,9146,67641327,0034,729—5,486—
192017,2965,29132822,915—2,618—4,088
192117,8165,38532623,527520—612—
192218,3495,32029823,967533—440—
192318,5005,10127923,880151——87
192418,9185,14831224,378418—498—
192519,0604,97629424,330142——48
192619,3084,97524524,528248—198—
192719,8074,81723924,863499—335—
192820,1474,64023625,023340—160—
192920,8714,52526425,660724—637—
Net increase in 39 years10,7679,300
Average increase per annum276238

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Insane
persons
within the
knowledge of
public
authorities,
1890-1929.
23. Table 6 shows that the total number of London lunatics increased in the
year by 637 (corresponding figure for 1927, 160). Actually the London County
Council had to provide on 1st January, 1929, for 724 additional cases as compared
with 1st January, 1928 (see table 5), but the number of cases in the institutions of
the Metropolitan Asylums Board on 1st January. 1929 was 115 less than the number
on 1st January, 1928, and the number of cases for whom boards of guardians were
providing treatment either in the infirmary or workhouse or with relatives and
friends of the patients was 28 more than the number on 1st January, 1928. The
number of cases in the institutions of the Metropolitan Asylums Board on
1st January, 1929, is once more the lowest recorded since 1890.
24. During 1928, 37 male and 5 female patients of a kind eligible for detention
in the Metropolitan Asylums Board's mental hospitals were transferred from London
County mental hospitals to the Board's care. Of these patients, 1 male patient
was returned during the year, having proved, after transfer, to be unsuitable for
the Board's institutions. In addition to this re-transfer, the London County mental
hospitals received, by transfer from the Board's institutions, 12 male and 6 female
patients.
Metropolitan
Asylums
Board's
accommodation.
Applications for admission.
25. The applications for beds for cases of lunacy received from the relieving
officers in the County of London and dealt with during each month of the period
1918-1929 are shown in table 7 below. This table, as we have pointed out in previous
years, is interesting because it gives some indication whether there is any actual
increase in the incidence of mental unsoundness in the county. The figures give the
total applications made each month, of which a certain number (between 4 and 5
per cent.) were withdrawn for one reason or another. The figures therefore do not
represent the total number of cases actually admitted to a London County mental
hospital. It will be noted that the number of applications is 127 more than last
year.
Applications
for beds.