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The Old Manor Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. It functioned first as a Victorian private licensed house called Fisherton House or Fisherton House Asylum from the early 19th century. It was the largest private madhouse in the United Kingdom. In 1924 following a change of proprietors it was renamed Old Manor Hospital and in 1955 it was amalgamated into the National Health Service. From 1813 to 1955 it was owned and managed by members of the same family. The Old Manor Hospital closed in 2003 and was replaced by Fountain Way, a smaller, modern, psychiatric hospital on part of the site of the Old Manor Hospital. ==Founding and early history == In the early 19th century Dr. William Corbin Finch, a London surgeon, bought Fisherton House in the village of Fisherton Anger, a village to the west of Salisbury. At that time it was outside the city but due to urban development the site is now within the city of Salisbury on the lower part of Wilton Road. It is recorded that patients were received in 1813 and Fisherton House was sold as a "mental institution" to Charles Finch in 1813. According to William Parry-Jones in his book (''The Trade in Lunacy, A Study of Private Madhouses in 18th and 19th Century Britain'') the asylum did not appear on an 1815 list of businesses in Salisbury but was certainly functioning by 1826. At that time William Corbin Finch also owned Laverstock House, in a village east of Salisbury, and Kensington House and The Retreat in The Kings Road in London, all licensed madhouses. Dr Finch also gave evidence to the 1815 Select Committee who were investigating conditions in private madhouses across England. Their report came to nothing due to lack of co-operation of the asylums. Fisherton House was subject to the Madhouses Act of 1774 which prescribed certain rules and conditions regarding private asylums run for profit. Briefly, asylums had to notify the Metropolitan Commissioners of Lunacy of any admissions, this was to maintain a countrywide register, asylums had to be supervised by a qualified doctor and submit to regular inspections by the local Quarter Sessions. The 1828 Madhouse Act superseded the 1774 Act and made provision for local magistrates to visit 4 times each year to inspect the condition, provision of care and regulation of the asylum. There was a securely bound "Visitors' Book" in which the visiting magistrates were obliged to record anything they regarded as important, whether positive or negative. One of the sections of the Madhouses Act of 1774 provided that a person could be admitted to an asylum on a single certificate signed by a physician, surgeon or apothecary of unspecified qualification. In 1815 William Corbin Finch expressed concern, with other asylum owners, about the literacy of some apothecaries. He illustrated this with an admission note he had received from a local apothecary: ::::"Hey Broadway, A Potcarey of Gillingham Certefy that Mr James Burt misfortin hapened by a Plow in the Hed which is the Ocaisim of his Ellness & By the Rising and Falling of the Blood And I think a Blister and bleeding and meddeson Will be A Very Great Thing But Mr James Burt wold not A Gree to be Don at Home. Hay Broadway."〔 When first opened Fisherton Asylum took private and pauper patients and was superintended by Mr Charles Finch (uncle of William Corbin Finch) who in 1828 placed an advertisement in a local newspaper, ''The Salisbury & Winchester Journal'': (original spelling and grammar retained) ::::“FISHERTON ASYLUM, NEAR SALISBURY. For the Reception of INSANE PATIENTS, under the immediate Superintendence of Mr. CHARLES FINCH, who for upwards of twenty five years has devoted his time and study to relieve those afflicted with mental disorder and aberration. Mr. C. FINCH returns his grateful acknowledgments to the Medical Gentlemen and the Public for the very great patronage he has experienced, and informs them he has completed some extensive and important improvements in and around the Asylum, for the better classification and comfort of its inmates, and for the appropriate accommodation of persons of the greatest respectability. The recovery of his patients and their restoration to their friends and to society has ever been a primary object of solicitude with Mr. C. FINCH, and he can adduce many proofs that his endeavours to attain this object have been eminently successful. He has found, in his experience, that incurable cases are by no means so numerous as is generally imagined, particularly in aberrations resulting from febrile attacks: with those patients who have youth on their side, or whose malady is but of recent date, there is abundant room to hope that with judicious treatment a complete cure may be effected. The apartments in the Asylum destined for male and female patients, are distinct and separate, by which arrangement all keep a belief that their sufferings receive sympathy and commiseration from those under whose care they are placed. To insure the greatest attention and domestic comfort to the afflicted, with treatment suited to the various forms of the disease, Mr. and Mrs. FINCH constantly reside in the Establishment so that nothing is entrusted to menials, which is the surest preventative of irregularity, disquietude, and improper treatment. Very extensive Pleasure Grounds and Gardens, which have been recently much enlarged, and at a great expence improved and diversified, form a distinguishing portion of the Establishment; and are so studiously laid out as to produce a pleasing variety of amusement and promenade, and to gratify the patients' natural desire for change; to all of which they have an unlimited access. The Attendants are carefully selected, and of approved humanity and kind disposition. There are convenient distinct Buildings for Pauper Patients, who are admitted as usual, and receive every possible Medical attendance and kind treatment equal to any Establishment in the Kingdom.” – June 1836 By 1837 there were 100 inmates of which 60 were paupers, paid for by local government funds. and following the passing of the Criminal Lunatics Act in 1800, initiated by the attempted assassination of King George III, an increasing number of patients were being sent from criminal courts to be detained “until his Majesty's pleasure be known” in Bethlem Hospital and a few to Fisherton House. Over the next decade the asylum did not expand with still 100 licensed places in 1847. In 1848 the proprietors agreed to build special wards to take the less dangerous criminal lunatics that were scattered in asylums around the country. Bethlem hospital would take the more dangerous patients. The fifth annual report by the Lunacy Commissioners found that the numbers of criminal lunatics had increased and the relief provided by Fisherton House inadequate. Lord Shaftesbury called for the construction of a special asylum to house all criminal lunatics – to no avail. In 1850 the Commissioners' Report noted that Fisherton House was one of three provincial licensed houses that was "defective". The poor conditions were due to overcrowding caused by the transfer of "harmless criminal lunatics" from Bethlem Hospital when it became overcrowded. The poor conditions were tolerated because of the expectation of paupers being transferred to the newly commissioned county asylums. (following the Lunacy Act 1845 promoting the construction of county asylums). In 1853 it is recorded that Fisherton House had 214 patients cared for by 26 attendants. At that time Fisherton House was accepting pauper admissions from boroughs well beyond Wiltshire.〔 Dr Corbin Finch (snr), the medical superintendent, was a city alderman (1842–56), Mayor of Salisbury in 1842 and had proposed the building of St Paul's Church in Salisbury as well as being a senior physician at Salisbury Infirmary. He died in 1867 in Salisbury. He was succeeded by his son, Dr William Corbin Finch (jnr). In 1862 the Corbin Finch family were joined in business by Dr John Alfred Lush, a local family doctor who had married the sister of William Corbin Finch (jnr) in 1853. He set up a private practice in Salisbury and later joined the management staff of Fisherton House. He went on to be Liberal MP for Salisbury (1868–80) and President of the Medico-Psychological Association. The Glasgow Herald printed in 1864 part of an article from The Cornhill Magazine which describes some aspects of Fisherton Asylum life. The article describes encounters with inmates, medical staff and an inmates' social ball and gives a generally favourable impression. When the Wiltshire County Asylum had become established in the 1860s pauper patients resident in Wiltshire were transferred there but the patient numbers were maintained by taking pauper patients from Portsmouth and Middlesex unions. The Prince of Wales, (later Edward VII) visited Fisherton House during the autumn of 1870. The local paper announced the visit thus: ::::“We understand that His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales will visit the city to be present during the army manoeuvres on Salisbury Plain on 3 Sept.. and will remain until the 10th of that month. His Royal Highness will take up residence in Bemerton Lodge which has been placed at his disposal through Dr Lush by Mr William Corbin Finch."〔 A large ballroom had been constructed in 1868/69 as a patients' social activities room. This was used on at least one occasion as a venue for a concert for the entertainment of the prince and his entourage.〔 Working and visiting at Fisherton Asylum was not without hazard. In 1873 Mr Robert Wilfred S Lutwidge, uncle of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was visiting the asylum with others in his capacity of Commissioner in Lunacy when he was attacked by a patient and later died. William McCave, had pretended to be asleep and when Lutwidge passed he struck him in the head with a large nail, he claimed his motive was to attain transfer to Broadmoor Hospital. In 1877–78 Dr John Lush, then superintendent, sat on a parliamentary Select Committee enquiring into the Lunacy Act so far as regards security afforded by it against violations of personal liberty. From 1878–90 Fisherton House was licensed to receive 672 patients, some of which were paupers, some were private, and some were criminal lunatics. This made it the largest private madhouse ever to have existed in the United Kingdom. In 1880 a number of patients at Fisherton House from Portsea Island union workhouse area were transferred to the newly opened Portsmouth Lunatic Asylum (later St James Hospital) but pauper patients from the Middlesex workhouse union were being admitted and remained until at least 1888. In the late 19th century it was not unusual to have children confined in the asylum. There is evidence in records that children were sent from the London and Birmingham unions for care at Fisherton Asylum. This young man survived for two years and the other was discharged after 1 year. After a Commissioners' Visit in 1883 Dr Finch received a complaint about "rough handling" of some female patients. They found the wards tranquil but felt "The Female Head Attendant was overtasked" and it was suggested she be replaced as a supervisor of other attendants. Some female patients complained of "blows and twisting of arms" and the Commissioners suggested that the Head Attendant should visit the women's wards more often. They also suggested that medical staff should keep these wards under observation. The Commissioners requested that Dr Finch make staff aware that they could be dismissed for such conduct in the future. No official summons was made against the asylum. The following visit noted improvements, two medical staff had been appointed to assist Dr Richard Finch, who was Medical Superintendent at this time, and second cousin of Dr William Corbin Finch jnr. He replaced Alfred Lush who had retired and died in 1888 A further report in 1896 notes 669 patients in the asylum, the licence permitted 672. There were 135 private patients and 534 paupers paid for by local authorities. Among the pauper patients were 263 who were charged to London unions, 263 to West Sussex and 29 to Canterbury in Kent, some 140 miles distant. The commonest reason for their presence was full asylums locally. The inspectors noted some unexplained bruising of some patients, seclusion was still being used, the giving of "white medicine" was condemned and concern was expressed about washing facilities, smelly bathrooms and lack of ventilation.〔 Richard Tanner Finch was still the Medical Superintendent. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Old Manor Hospital, Salisbury」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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