[TO THE ED/TOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR, —" A Magistrate," who lately
told us in your columns that "the one possible remedy for lunacy abuses is the abolition of all private asylums, and the transfer of all patients whatever to public asylums," seems to have studied but cursorily the evidence given before the late Select Committee or Lunacy Law. It was of public asylums that Dr. Mortimer Granville testified that "one-third of the persons in them" (or about 22,200 patients) "might be out of them, with advantage to themselves and to the public." (" Report," Committee, 1877, Question 8,904.) It is to public asylums that the Irish Magis- trates are wont to deport "-characters with troublesome procli- vities," in order "to disembarrass their respective localities of them." It is in public asylums that they put "the aged, the infirm, noisy troublesome children, and persons actually dying, and this without preliminary personal inspection." It was in a public asylum that in 1872 the Irish Commissioners found six sane rioters incarcerated, under the Lord-Lieutenant's warrant, in default of securities to keep the peace. ("Irish Lunacy Report" for 1872, pp. 6 and 9). English and Scotch Reports all tell a similar tale. It is impossible to study them carefully, even for a few years, and not see that the abolition of private asylums, however desirable, will not remedy the evils now so rife. The first remedy required, in my opinion, is to make every infraction of the Lunacy Laws an offence indictable by any person whatever, and punishable by imprison- ment, without option of fine. At present the power of prose- cuting for breaches of the Lunacy Laws is restricted to the Lunacy Commissioners and the Home Secretary, and they are thereby practically annulled as regards protection to public liberty. For obvious reasons, prosecutions for any cause are too rare to have any deterrent effect, and many grave offences, such as misdealing with letters, making false reports, &c., are never prosecuted at all. (" Report," Questions 416-17.) Indeed, the Commissioners cannot possibly prosecute for this latter offence, declared to be "a misdemeanour," because the only person who can contradict the report, viz., the patient, is never allowed to see them. In addition to removing all exceptional restrictions on enforcement of the Lunacy Laws, I would sug- gest the appointment of local inspectors, analogous in status to the school inspectors, and, like them, resident each in his own district, and individually responsible for its good governance. Such supervision must of necessity afford far greater guarantees than that of Commissioners resident in London,acting corporately, and therefore irresponsibly. To each inspector (who should never remain more than three consecutive years in one district) should be given an assistant, duly qualified to inspect and deal with the drainage and constructive questions of the asylums. All parties would gain by such division of labour. At present, half the time and energy of the Visitors and Commissioners is engrossed by matters which a sensible architect or trained sanitary inspector would dispose of both quicker and better. Many other reforms are needed, but I must not trespass too far on your space and indulgence. One suggestion, however, I would make. Let there, in future, be inspectresses, as well as
inspectors. It is a barbarity to subject woman, in her hour of degradation and self-abandonment, to the inspection and criti-
cism of men.—I am, Sir, &c., LOUISA LOWE,
Hon. Secretary of the Lunacy Law 64 Berners Street, W. Reform Association.
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