The Enlargement of Rainhill Asylum

Extract

We regret to observe that the Lancashire Asylums Board have decided to provide additional “temporary” accommodation at Rainhill for 200 patients. It is to be hoped that these buildings will be really temporary, and that the Board will remove them as soon as possible. The evils of these overgrown institutions have been so often the subject of unfavourable comment that wo refrain from further remarks at present, except to express sympathy with Dr. Wiglesworth in having this unwelcome addition thrust upon him. We certainly cannot agree with Mr. Turner in his reported remarks to the effect that, as in a very short time the lunacy requirements of the county would be such as to occupy all the permanent provision that the Board anticipated making, as many of the asylums as could should make temporary accommodation. If the requirements transcend the possibilities under the arrangements now completed, it seems to us high time that the question of further permanent provision should be faced.