VPRS 8249 Observation Ward Report Books - Female

The series records the observations of nurses on duty between 8.00pm and 7.00am each night in the observation ward. Patients in this ward were classified as destructive, epileptic, suicidal or 'special case'.The entries are recorded in chronological order, usually two days to a page with entries re date, patient's name and remarks about medication. The nurse also noted whether the patients were awake or asleep at hourly intervals and recorded special remarks about various happenings throughout the night. The books were signed daily by the night and day attendants.Covering the period 1922 to 1928, these records are quite damaged and several pages have been lost.The existence of male report books (VPRS 8250) commencing in 1920 suggests that female books may also have been created from this date. However no record for this period was extant in 1994.