The Housing of the Insane in Victoria, with special reference to Licensed Houses and Border-line Cases

Abstract

When the Australasian Medical Congress met in Melbourne, in 1889, I dealt with “The Housing of the Insane in Victoria, with Special Relation to the Boarding-out System of Treatment.” Since then I have had ample opportunity of satisfying myself that such a method of caring for and treating the harmless insane is not suited to our colonial life. Much personal attention was given to this matter, and I was not satisfied with the results, the majority of the patients being in the care of officials of the various hospitals practically as servants. This was given a trial, as the official staff were practically the only applicants, not that I believed in the advisability of granting them patients. I ceased doing so, because it was evident the cases were taken for what could be got out of them, a circumstance which existed also with other applicants. This method of caring for our accumulated insane population being demonstrated unsuitable, we perforce fell back upon institutional accommodation for the chronic harmless cases.