MENTAL HOSPITALS IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY
3
Krishna " Cinema. The editors of the news-
papers continued their supply of papers.
The nucleus for a hospital library was found
with Telugu books presented by Messrs. V.
Ramaswami Sastrulu & Sons, Madras.
(c) Calicut.—Annual sports and new
year celebrations were conducted and prizes
distributed to the winners. As usual, the
patients were provided with various kinds of
amusements. The editors of the papers
continued the free supply of their papers. A
Malayalam drama was staged by the attend-
ants and patients during the annual sports.
16. Epidemics.—The Mental Hospital at
Waltair was entirely free from any epidemic
disease during the year. As regards Madras
and Calicut, there were some cases of influenza
of a mild type. There were no casualties.
17. Finance.—The total receipts including
those from paying patients amounted to Rupees
4,80,961-14-4 as against Rs. 5,60,467-11-8
during 1931. The increase under receipts
in 1931 is mainly due to the Public Works
Department charges on account of the con-
struction of paying wards in the Mental
Hospital at Calicut. As the special wards
were lying vacant for want of patients, the
minimum rate of Rs. 1-8-0 per diem for the
special wards for mental patients in the Gov-
ernment Mental Hospital, Calicut, has been
reduced to Re. 1 per diem as a tentative
measure for one year so as to see if patients
will come forward to occupy the vacant
wards. The decrease in the expenditure
under establishment and maintenance, diet,
bedding and clothing, miscellaneous items,
etc., is due to the emergency cut in pay and
other compensatory allowances of the nursing
staff, fall in the prices of some of the
important articles of diet and restriction of
supply of costly diets and extras to suitable
and deserving cases only, and also to the
general economy observed as a measure of
retrenchment.
18. General Administration.—Dr.
H. S.
Hensman, L.M.S., L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., M.P.C., was
in charge of the Mental Hospital, Madras, for
the whole year except for one month from
the 30th May 1932 when Captain G. R.
Parasuram, B.A., L.M.S., M.R.C.P., L.R.C.S.,
L.R.F.P. & S., DIPL. PSYCH., A.I.R.O., the
Deputy Superintendent, acted for him. The
superintendentship of Mental
Hospital,
Waltair, was held by M.R.Ry. C. Rama
Kamath Avargal, M.B., C.M., from 1st January
to 21st April 1932 and by M.R.Ry. Rao
Sahib T. Madhava Rao Avargal, B.A., L.R.C.P.
& S., etc., for the rest of the year under
report.
M.R.Ry. S. Kumaraswami Pillai
Avargal, L.R.C.P. & S. (Edin.), etc., was the
Superintendent of the Mental Hospital at
Calicut from 1st to 31st January 1932
and Major A. Innes Cox, I.M.S., for the rest
of the year.
19. Visitors.—All the official and non-
official visitors attended the monthly meet-
ings of hospitals by turn. The Subdivisional
Magistrate, the District Judge of Vizaga-
patam, and the Inspector-General of Prisons,
Madras, visited the Mental Hospital, Waltair.
The Inspector-General of Prisons visited the
Mental Hospital, Madras, and the Surgeon-
General visited the Mental Hospitals, Madras
and Calicut.
20. Verification of Service Books and Stock
Registers.—The annual verification of the
service books of the establishment and stock
registers was duly carried out in all the
three mental hospitals during the year.
21. General Remarks.—The redistribution
of patients ordered in G.O. No. 488, P.H.,
dated 3rd March 1932, has not relieved the
overcrowding in the Madras Mental Hospital
to an appreciable extent. The daily average
population in that hospital during the year
was 1,156.32 against a total accommodation
of 744 beds available. Thus there was an
increase of 55.4 per cent in the daily average
population. The overcrowding is becoming
more acute every year and the reasons for
enlarging all the mental hospitals that I
have previously put before Government still
hold good and with increased force.
The Government are already considering
the proposal to extend the Mental Hospital,
Madras, or to open a new Mental Hospital at
Tanjore utilizing the Medical School hostel
building to relieve the overcrowding in the
Mental Hospital, Madras.
We cannot yet claim that our institutions
for reception of the insane are mental hospi-
tals in the best sense of the word : they still
retain the features of lunatic asylums where
the primary consideration was the protection
of the outside public from a possible danger
rather than the treatment of individual
mental patients. To attain that end an
increase in staff as well as in accommodation
would be necessary.
In my report of last year I pointed out the
pressing need of a home for mental defec-
tives. This need remains, though second in
importance to the question of increased
accommodation for certified mental patients.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
C. A. SPRAWSON, C.I.E.,
MAJOR-GENERAL, I.M.S.,
Surgeon-General with the Government of Madras.
MADRAS,
15th April 1933.
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