The very heavy damages of £25,000 awarded by a jury
against Dr. C. H. Bond (a Commissioner in Lunacy) and Dr. G. H. Adam, who were sued by Mr. Harnett for illegally detaining him as a lunatic when he was in fact sane, are a measure of the horror felt by the ordinary man for the improper or careless use of the great powers conferred on doctors by the Lunacy laws. For nine years Mr. Harnett was confined in various asylums, and he would probably still be a prisoner if he had not escaped. Our readers will remember some articles we published in which we expressed our very grave misgivings about the treat- ment of lunatics. Unjustifiable certification is another part of the problem of lunacy. We propose to return to the subject. It is impossible to conceive a more dreadful fate than that of a sane man who is " put away," either by design or through carelessness, because the present law does not adequately safeguard his liberty.
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