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courtesy of the Prisons Department the infirmary ward of H.M. Prison at Lyttelton was proclaimed an auxiliary to Sunnyside, and to this he was removed till other arrangements could be made. The patients are employed according to their capacity, and the beneficial effect of this is evident in their general good health and in the comparative absence of excitement. According to employment the patients at present resident may be classified as follows : — Males. Females. Total. Mentally or physically unfit for work .. .. .. 29 53 82 Employed in the garden .. .. .. .. .. 38 .. ■ 38 „ on the farm .. .. .. .. .. 81 .. 81 inwards 78 99 177 „ in workshops .. .. .. .. .. 19 .. 19 „ in laundry .. .. .. .. .. Jj2 37 39 in kitchen .. .. .. .. .. f 4 12 16 „ sewing .. .. .. .. .... 46 46 „ otherwise .. .. .. .. .. 11 2 13 262 249 511 Active amusements are a feature of the treatment, and as many as possible attend and take part. There is a record of cricket matches, dances, concerts, &c, and of parties to the theatre and circus in town. I wish to separately record the game of bowls, which has been enthusiastically taken up since the making of a really excellent bowling-green. So truly has it been laid that some of the recent championship events were played on it. The active interest that the bowling fraternity have taken in the well-being of the patients by presenting bowls to their club is particularly gratifying. Sixty-seven men and 63 women attended Divine service. Mr. Smaill, the missionary, is a good friend to the patients, and. holds no narrow view as to his sphere of usefulness. He takes a great interest in the patients' recreations, and is, indeed, the organizer of the theatre parties. lam pleased to learn that arrangements have been made for the patients to visit the Exhibition. During the period under review 25 patients left the institution recovered, which, calculated on the admissions, makes a recovery rate of 41 per cent. Therewere 24 deaths, a large number, but they were due to ordinary causes. Six were credited to senile decay and one to phthisis pulmonalis. The work in progress at present includes sanitary alterations, the admission of light to the main stairway on the female side, and the taking up of ventilating shafts in the same, locality. The gardener's lodge is nearing completion, and promises to be a model cottage, convenient and picturesque. Plans are now under consideration for a central common bath-house between the main building and the laundry. The new laundry machinery is being put in position, and should soon be working. The structural alteration necessary is comparatively small. I have before commented upon the desirability of turning a portion of the attic space into a Nurses' Horne —the dormitory accommodation in the scheme would be ample, and the sitting-room would be large and has great decorative possibilities, which could be carried out at little cost. I understand from the Matron that the nurses would welcome the change, and as many as 17 could with advantage be taken from rooms which rightly belong to patients and have cubic space sufficient for 34. The attic dormitory, which it is proposed to alter into cubicles for nurses, is presently occupied by 32 patients. The Matron's rooms (sit-ting-room and bedroom) are in the middle of a ward, and it is part of the above scheme to have these vacated for patients, and the Matron provided for by building in the vicinity of her dining-room. I met the Dairy Inspector by appointment, and with Dr. Gow went into the alterations needed in the byres and dairy to bring these up to modern requirements. This will form the subject of a separate report. Meantime I may state that, on the score of economy to save the expense of pumping water, of which a large quantity is needed in the locality, the engineer advises sinking for a well in the paddock to the north of the byres. The Dairy Inspector agrees that the same situation is the best for the new dairy, of which, however, only a place for chilling the milk within easy reach of the byres is a present necessity. A fire hydrant should be placed to command the byres building. I inspected the food and found it of good quality, ample, well cooked, and expeditiously served. As I did in the recentreport upon Seacliff, I copy hereunder the nurses' dietary for the week previous to my visit. Seacliff and Sunnyside may be taken as representative institutions, and this menu and that given in the Seacliff report should be sufficient to refute the statement there quoted.
In addition, pickles, sauce, and chutney allowed; also early morning tea and biscuits or bread and butter.
Breakfast. Dinner. Tea. Daily Tea, porridge, and milk Tea, vegetables Tea, bread and butter. ' 1907. February 3 .. 4 .. Chops Irish stew Roast mutton, plum pie Soup, boiled mutton and parsley sauce, rice pudding Roast beef, boiled pudding Roast beef, blanc mange, and stewed apples Roast mutton, sago pudding Roast beef, blanc mange, and stewed apples Salt beef,|cheese Cold roast mutton, cake. Cold roast mutton, jam. „ 6 .. Chops Sausages Cold meat, scones. Cold meat, rock cake. „ 7 .. „ 8 .. Chops Steak Cold meat, jam. Cold meat, scones. „ 9 .. Sausages Cold salt beef, jam.
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