RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: northern_rose on Saturday 19 June 21 21:22 BST (UK)
-
I'm looking at the Lunacy Patients Admission Registers and am not sure about the categories for discharge from asylum. I am clear with recovered and death but what are the other two? can anyone help?
Many thanks
-
Reld - Released
-
Not Impd = not improved
-
Reld - Released
Sorry to disagree, but Reld. = Relieved.
-
Just found info from the New Lunacy Act 1845 -
Recovered
Relieved = recovered from acute illness and can return home or to another hospital
Not improved - I don't understand this one - why would they be discharged?
-
Reld - Released
Sorry to disagree, but Reld. = Relieved.
You are correct
Not improved - I don't understand this one - why would they be discharged?
Fully written here https://archive.org/details/newlunacyactsvi00lumlgoog/page/n140/mode/2up?view=theater
-
Not improved - I don't understand this one - why would they be discharged?
If it was thought that the asylum could not help further with their condition. People were admitted to asylums for a variety of reasons, not always connected with 'lunacy'. You would need to look at the patient case-books for more information, if any survive for the institution at that date.
-
Discharged not improved is invariably a transfer to another asylum. You may find a further entry in the lunacy registers, usually on the same date.
Bear in mind though that some were transferred to imbecile asylums which are not included.
Relieved = recovered from acute illness and can return home or to another hospital
This is interesting. Certainly many of those discharged "relieved" were also moved to other asylums. The exact meaning of the term seems to have caused some difficulty to modern academic researchers.
-
Bear in mind though that some were transferred to imbecile asylums which are not included.
Emma Banks, admitted to Cane Hill, 30 May 1902
Discharged, relieved, 24 June 1902
She came from the workhouse in Camberwell, register of lunatics shows she was transferred to Caterham on the day of the discharge from CH.
Two images
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-P3N5-MVR3
On the other hand
Elizth Barnett, admitted to Cane Hill, 3 Jan 1905
Discharged relieved 23 March 1906
Camberwell Register of Lunatics, right down the bottom
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-L3N5-MJ2W
What does it say in the Camberwell records?
Relieved to Go :-\
Husband
-
No, it says Received to care of husband ;D
So, on those two examples,
"Relieved = recovered from acute illness and can return home or to another hospital"
looks a good definition!
-
At Bethlem in 1851, patients were not allowed to remain there above twelve months. I don't know if that applied to other establishments.
-
Thanks for you help and comments everyone - they have helped me to understand the records I was looking at.