While on a short visit to Madrid some little time ago I determined to find out how Spain treated her lunatics. I visited the public asylum of Santa Isabel at Leganes, but was refused admission, as there was no resident physician, and the village doctor, who was supposed to make his rounds at 9 a.m., was away ! A friend, however, kindly gave me an introduction to the leading Spanish alienist, Dr. D. José Esquerdo, who, he told me, had a private asylum at Carabanchel, and thither I went. This little village is about three miles from Madrid, and easily reached by tramcar. Dr. Esquerdo's asylum stands on an elevated, sandy plain, about 200 métres from C. Alto, and is approached by a steep, rugged road. In external appearance it is most unlike our ideas of a private asylum: not a tree to be seen for miles, and the whole block of buildings is enclosed by wooden palisades.