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Ali Mardan died last month, but the Assistant Commissioner of Hazára, who sent him
here, said that his friends would pay. When he had been here six months the bill was enclosed
to the Assistant Commissioner (on 15th April last), but no reply has yet been received. A
reminder will now be sent.
2. The question of reducing the increased establishment alluded to in paragraph 5 of the
Secretary's letter was dealt with in this office No. 12, of 4th February last, in which I pointed
out that I considered it undesirable to diminish it, unless the number of male lunatics fell to 200.
As the lunatics are now much more employed than formerly, and some of the dangerous
characters are brought out of their special ward to the work-shed, a good deal more supervision
is required. I would further point out that when the increase was first made as a temporary
arrangement on 1st August 1877 the number of lunatics was 285 ; that it was then rapidly
increasing, and on September 18th reached its maximum 292; that in November 1877 when
application was made for the increase to be sanctioned as a permanent arrangement, the average
of the previous month, October, had been 283.
The average has now fallen to 271 in April. So small a reduction as this does not enable
us to guard one ward less, so that I am still of opinion that any diminution of establishment
would be unsafe.
3. As regards the statement that the food of the lunatics was " fairly good," I did not
desire to draw any comparison with the food of the jails, but simply to imply that, to the best
of my knowledge and belief, a fair value was received for the money expended on the provi-
sions. On now comparing our scale of diet with that of the jails, I find an immense superiority
in that of the Asylum, and the object we keep steadily in view is to obtain the best quality
procurable for the price.
Annual Report of 1877, by Surgeon-Major J. B. Scriven, Superintendent Lahore Lunatic Asylum.
THERE is not much that is new to relate about this Asylum. The principal points of
interest are the employment of lunatics, the manufacturing industry, and the increase in the
number of inmates. In this report I shall observe, as nearly as possible, the order of former
years, as a comparison with the past will thus most readily be made.
Buildings.
2. There has been no addition to these. The shed proposed by Dr. Penny for the
dangerous lunatics was refused, on the ground that no
money was available, and that its necessity had not been
shown.
I prefer postponing for the present the consideration of its necessity, as from the increased
employment of the lunatics, some new building will probably be required, but of what kind is
as yet not quite clear.
Sanitary arrangements.
3. These have not boon altered, I see that in the report for 1875, it was stated that all
the night-soil, except that of the hospital, was buried in
the garden in shallow trenches; this exception was made,
because it was considered by the Superintendent inexpedient to bury the ordure from sick men
in the garden, and it was therefore carried to a distance. Possibly his reason was that cholera
was prevalent in 1875, but the plan was only adopted for a short time; the whole is now buried;
a trench 12 inches deep by 12 wide and 6 feet long contains the whole 24 hours' refuse of the
280 inmates. This plan has now been adopted for 6 years; the soil of the garden has become
very rich in consequence, and there is never any offensive smell. Originally my instructions
were to dig the trenches 18 inches deep; but we found the country ploughs did not go so deep
as this, and that 12 inches answered better. Plots of ground are set apart in succession for the
deposit of manure. When a plot has been filled, it is allowed to lie fallow for at least one
month and a half from the time of the last deposit; then it is ploughed and cultivated. After
one crop has been grown upon it, it is ready to be used again; but often we grow two or three
crops before again using it for manure. It was with a view of getting plenty of room for dis-
posing of the manure, as well us of getting rid of a nuisance, that the objectionable piece of
hollow ground mentioned in paragraph 13 of the report of 1875 was taken up; it was lying
waste at the time, and we paid nothing for it; its cultivation has greatly improved the
neighbourhood, for even up to the present year it was hollow and swampy, but it has now
been almost completely filled up, and this of course has been done by lunatic labour.
Forms and causes of Insanity.
Class of persons admitted.
4. I have no new remarks to make under this head.
5. Ninety males, 11 females,—in all 101,—of whom
12 were criminals.