FORTIa’s TRAVELS IN SWEDEN.

428

in the prifon, is keeping the offender on bread and water, but this is never for a greateri'pace of time than eight and twenty days, as it has been proved, that in fo cold a cli-mate, there would be danger of culprits perifhing in cafe of longer abflinence fromlubllantial food, a matter more neceffary in the North, than in warm, or even temperate'climates.

Chap. VII.— Hofpltals and Mad-Houfes.

THE hofpital or lazaretto at Kongjholm , is capable of containing one hundred and fiftyfick, forty-fix of which are maintained gratuitoully ; the reft pay two rix-dollars permonth, and fix if they have an apartment to themfelvcs; when we faw it it containedno more than forty-nine patients ; they always fleep by themfelvcs.- The funds of the-hofpital are no more than 40,000 rix-dollars Rikfens * ; the fick on their entrance areclothed in the linen and drefs of the hofpital, their own being reftored to them upontheir departure; their linen is changed every week, and oftener if it be neceffary.There is a principal phyfician, who is at the fame time director, a fecond phyfician, andcommonly three furgeons; if more be neceffary, the afiiftance of the young ftudents iscalled for, who attend the hofpital for inftruftion. The anatomical theatre is at Ridder-holm, and the fchool of furgery in the South; thus do thefe eftablifbments form pre-cifely a triangle, which appears to us a poor contrivance. The internal maladies, whichsre mod common, are inflammatory fevers; there are many cafes of the venereal dif-eafe, and hemorrhoidal fiftulas: thofe afflidfed wfith the venereal difeafe are below ina fpecies of cells, the men fcarc-ely feparated from the women \ falivation is ftill veryfrequently ufed here. The meat in the hofpital is good, the bread tolerable, everything very decent, and nothing further; the ufe of ventilators, other than fans, isunknown to them ; there is at the door a box, in which it is cuftomary to drop foinemoney.

Lying-in hofpital. This is fituated nigh the north fquare, in a private houfe ; it is aneftablifhment on a very fmallffcale, which has yet its ufes, and which poffibly may be thecaufe of a larger inftitution of the fort being one day founded j indeed many Swedes atStockholm are ignorant of its exiftence ; and fo little accultomed are the attendants tothe vifits of foreigners, that we were obliged to negociate a long time before we couldgain admittance, they conceiving that we wifhed to throw ridicule on the inftitution.The efiablifhment confifts of eighteen beds for gratuitous patients in three chambers, andtwo for women unwilling to be known, and who are not fuffered to be feen. Thefelatter pay for their beds 4 rix-dollars per month, and maintain themfelves. The Kingpays 3 copper dollars daily for each woman who comes to lye-in here ; but this onlyfor nine days, at the termination of which fhe mull leave the hofpital, unlefs Ihe be toaweak, in which cafe fhe is kept till fhe recovers flrength. In this houfe there are bomyearly from three to four hundred children. The bedfteads are of iron, with a fmallone at hand for the infant, two feet and a half long by eighteen inches wide, coveredwith the fame fheets and blankets as the larger. If a nurfe be wanting, fhe is engagedat an office for this purpofe. There is only one midwife in the houfe, whofe falary is50 rix-dollars: the country women come hither to pra&ife, and pay for entrance tworix-dollars 20 {killings to the College of Phyfic, remain there for three months at theirown expence, and on their departure pay for their diploma a rix-dollar and a half.The profeffor gives two leffons weekly, and the provoll private leffons, which the wo-

•* Notes which lofe about tt per cent, in change againft fpecie.

men