ABSTRACT
Asylums of the mid-nineteenth century onwards had been built on the echelon plan, with a staggered succession of blocks projecting outwards from the administration block, served by a lengthy zig-zag corridor. The Lunacy Act was not intended to increase admission to asylums, but the deluge of insanity continued. To the chagrin of medical superintendents, asylums were being used for the least desirable recipients of Poor Law administration: the dying, the demented and the dangerous'. There was an immediate response to Lord Kitchener's great mobilisation, and many of the fittest asylum attendants stepped forward, some of whom were Army or Navy reservists. Asylums were a breeding ground for contagious disease. In stifling, airless dormitories, nurses relied heavily on patient labour for the arduous cleaning and polishing routine. In 1921 a staff club was opened at Coney Hill Asylum in Gloucestershire, affording nurses a place to socialise.
