Account of the rise and progress of the asylum, proposed to be established, near Philadelphia : for the relief of persons deprived of the use of their reason : with an abridged account of the Retreat, a similar institution near York, in England.

Date:
1814
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Account of the rise and progress of the asylum, proposed to be established, near Philadelphia : for the relief of persons deprived of the use of their reason : with an abridged account of the Retreat, a similar institution near York, in England. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    surprising, that the building has several imper- fections, but rather that it possesses so many ad- vantages. It has been already observed, that the aspect of a place of confinement is prevented, by the substitution of cast iron window frames for the bars, which, in similar places, usually guarded the avenues of light. This contrivance unites the advantages of security, neatness, and durabi- lity. There are not in this house any cells un- der ground. All the rooms, except three which derive their light from an adjoining gallery, have glass windows. Iron bars and shutters, are too often substituted for glazed vinriows, in rooms appropriated to the insane. The obvious conse- quence is, that the air, however cold, cannot be kept out of the apartment, without the entire ex- clusion of light. One circumstance, which I much regret, in the construction of this building, is, that there arc rooms on both sides of the galleries ; for, though a large portion of light is admitted, by the win- dow at each extremity of the building, yet, the galleries on the ground floor, at least, are rather gloomy. I observe with pleasure, m a very ingenious account and plan of a new asylum at Glasgoxv* that the galleries have rooms on one side, and rvindows on the other. This cannot fail to give an air of cheerfulness, highly desirable in such establishments. * Remarks on the Construction of Public Hospitals, by W'm. Stark, Esq. architect. This work, as well as Obser- vations on the Treatment of Lunatics, bv Robert Kc id, Esq. architect, deserves the attention oftlio.se who are en- gaged in such undertaking's.