MENTAL HOSPITALS IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY
3
11. General hygiene of mental patients.—Personal cleanliness of the
insanes and the sanitation of the buildings and surroundings are being
carefully and satisfactorily supervised and carried out in all the three
mental hospitals.
12. Drainage.—In the Mental Hospital at Madras night-soil as usual
continues to be trenched outside the Mental Hospital on the newly
acquired land. This is an objectionable practice which has been allowed
to go on for years and needs to be rectified as soon as possible. No
progress has yet been made in the underground sewage and drainage
scheme, though Government have in their order No. Mis. 1320 W., dated
26th August 1925, approved the proposed investigation of the drainage
scheme for this hospital. Want of drains within the hospital keeps some
parts of it in a filthy condition. The drainage system is satisfactory in
the Mental Hospitals at Waltair and Calicut.
13. Water-supply.— Water-supply to the Madras Mental Hospital con-
tinues to be inadequate in its distribution owing to the calibre of the pipe
from the mains having been diminished on the northern side to one inch.
Though plans and estimates have been received from the Public Works
Department and permission obtained from the Engineer, Waterworks,
Corporation of Madras, for laying a 5" main inside the compound, the
change has not been carried out for want of funds. The Mental Hospital
at Waltair is provided with a municipal water-supply which is supple-
mented in times of scarcity from the hospital well. The water supply
of the Mental Hospital, Calicut, is obtained from deep draw wells and
is good. But in the hot season the wells dry up and the cultivation of
vegetables is hardly possible.
14. Amusements.—Various kinds of amusements were as usual provided
for the patients. The annual treats and sports for the patients were held
during the year. The system of Lady Visitors corresponding to " Lady
Almoners" in England was introduced into the Mental Hospital at
Madras as an experiment. The system has worked satisfactorily. A trial
is being made to get up a similar committee of men to work on the same
lines on the male side. As in previous years the Honorary Secretary, Red
Cross Society, was kind enough to present the patients with valuable
gifts.
15. Epidemics.—There was an outbreak of chickenpox at the Mental
Hospital, Madras, but as a result of prompt action the epidemic soon
subsided with no deaths. There was no epidemic of any kind in the
other two hospitals.
16. Finance.—The total receipts including those from paying patients
amounted to Rs. 3,87,681-15-6 as against Rs. 3,55,079-12-6 in the
previous year, thus showing an increase which was due to an increase in
all the items of receipts. The value of stores received from the manu-
facturing department less cost of raw materials was Rs. 14,926-2-10.
The expenditure under superintendence shows a slight increase. This
was due to increment earned by the Superintendent and the special pay
of Rs. 150 drawn in the Government Mental Hospital, Madras. There
was also an increase under diets at the Mental Hospital, Madras. This
increased cost of dieting the patients as compared with the preceding
year is chiefly due to the following causes :—
(1) enormous increase in population, (2) the higher tender rates
accepted for some important articles of diet and (3) the increased cost of
dieting a larger number of Indian special paying patients than in the
previous year.
17. General administration.—Throughout the year Dr. H.S. Hensman,
L.M.S., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., M.P.C., was the Superintendent of the Mental
Hospital, Madras. While in the Mental Hospital, Waltair, Lieut.-Col.
M. N. Chaudhuri, I.M.S., was in charge from 1st January 1925 to 8th May