2
ANNUAL REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE
60 years. As usual the incidence of insanity was heavy on the active
period of life, i.e., between 20 to 40 years. Among the patients admit-
ted during the year the number of persons whose previous occupations
were not known was the largest, i.e., 183 and next came general labourers
and cultivating tenants numbering 84 and 40 respectively.
5. Types of insanity.—The principal types of insanity in their order
of frequency were dementia praecox, mania, insanity due to cannabis
indica, circular insanity, secondary or terminal dementia and imbecility.
6. Causes of insanity.—The enumeration of causes shown in State-
ment VII shows that the chief causative factors were mental stress,
cannabis indica, mental instability, as revealed by previous attack,
alcoholism and heredity.
7. Criminal insanes.—At the beginning of the year there were 187
criminal insanes in the Mental Hospital, Madras. Sixty-four were newly
admitted and two re-admitted during the year ; thus the total number
was 253 (234 males and 19 females). Of these 46 were discharged, trans-
ferred, etc., 15 died and 192 remained at the end of the year.
8. Deaths.—The total number of deaths during the year under report
was 87 (63 males and 24 females) as against 104 during the year 1930. The
percentage of total deaths to daily average strength was 5.8 as against
7.41 in the previous year.
9. Accommodation.—The following statement shows the sanctioned
accommodation of each of the mental hospitals, the average population
throughout the year and the maximum population on one day of the
year 1931:—
Madras ... ... ... ...
Waliair ... ... ... ...
Calicut
...
...
...
...
Total ...
Sanctioned
accommodation.
744
280
124
1,148
Average daily
population in 1931.
1,105
276
117
1,498
Maximum on one
day in 1931.
1,154
285
121
1,560
The number of patients accommodated in the Mental Hospital,
Madras, i.e., 1,154 was the highest on record so far and 410 more than the
hospital could accommodate. This makes an overflow of 55 per cent
above the normal accommodation. There is still a growing demand for
additional accommodation in all the mental hospitals and the question
of constructing temporary sheds in the Mental Hospital, Madras, and
additional buildings in the Mental Hospital, Calicut, has had to be post-
poned on account of the financial stringency. A measure that should
alleviate somewhat the overcrowding of patients in the Madras Mental
Hospital has been approved by Government in their Order No. 488 P.H.,
dated 3rd March 1932 which orders that mental patients, other than
criminals, from the districts of Madura, Ramnad, Salem and Tinnevelly
should be treated in the Mental Hospital, Calicut, instead of at Madras
as hitherto.
10. Buildings.—It was stated in the annual report for the year 1930
that the schemes for rebuilding and enlarging the mental hospitals at
Madras and Waltair and for the additions at Calicut had to be postponed
for lack of funds. The financial condition not having improved these
necessary buildings are again postponed.
11. Sanitation.—The sanitary condition of the three mental hospitals
continued to be satisfactory.
12. General hygiene of insanes.—The personal cleanliness of the
patients was carefully attended to, special attention being paid to
the feeding, bathing and clothing and also to the prevention and early
treatment of pyorrhoea and skin diseases.