The prime importance of classification of patients in asylums with a view to securing the best results of treatment cannot be denied. By classification is meant, not a rigid division of patients strictly according to their form of mental disorder, but rather a selective grouping of patients in wards and villas, where the amount of supervision, the nature of treatment, the extent of freedom and the general environment is best calculated to promote recovery, to discourage mental excitement, and to secure contentment and the highest possible standard of conduct in each case.