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It will be seen that the Asylum was healthy until August, and that the principal
number of casualties took place in the months of September, October and November—30
out of the entire number of deaths having occurred in these three months. The cause
of this mortality was a type of low fever that assumed an epidemic and contagious form ;
it was marked by no decided symptoms ; at first the patient had slight paroxysms of
fever of an intermittent type, and then gradually became weak and listless, refusing food;
œdema of the feet and hands supervened ; diarrhœa of a bilious character set in—speedi-
ly reducing the little strength left ; and the patient sank in spite of stimulants, quinine,
opium and nourishments, &c. Being convinced of the infectious character of the fever,
I ordered the hospital to be abandoned and removed the patients to another part of the
Asylum. The change was marked with benefit ; in the meantime the whole of the earth
in the hospital floor and compound was removed and replaced with fresh; the hospital
fumigated, re-leeped and white-washed; and was not re-occupied till the end of December.
The same type of fever was prevalent in the City and neighbourhood. The Sanitary
Commissioner visited the Asylum with me in November. I pointed out these cases
to him, and, after conducting him over the Asylum, requested his opinion regard-
ing the existence of any local cause for the disease. He admitted that, as far as
cleanliness, space, ventilation, clothing and food, he could find nothing wanting;
we inspected the water in the wells,—to the eye and taste there was nothing
objectionable to be discovered; the natives all pronounced the water sweet and good ;
but on subsequent analysis Doctor DeRenzy found the water in both wells to be
highly impregnated with organic matter and salts, and, in his opinion, to such a degree,
as not only to be prejudicial to health, but actually poisonous. At my request the
Chemical Examiner, Punjab, analysed the water of the large well in the flower
garden, and confirmed Doctor DeRenzy's report of its being strongly impregnated with
organic matter. On this I at once issued strict orders that the wells should be closed,
as far as drinking purposes are concerned, and had a water cart at once made up to bring
water from the Rajbaha of the Canal ; but unfortunately this source of supply cannot
be depended upon, as the water is constantly cut off, and the channel remains dry for
many days together, and when the water is let on again, for the first few days it is so
impregnated with earthy matter as to be undrinkable. The wells in the neighbourhood
and in the city have all been examined by Doctor DeRenzy, and the water in all is found
full of organic matter, to the same extent as the Asylum wells. I have had the large
well thoroughly cleaned out, and the water, though somewhat improved, is still unfit for
drinking purposes; there can be no doubt that the whole water supply in the Civil sta-
tion and city requires immediate attention, and that a general scheme for a supply of
pure water either from the canal or river is imperatively demanded. The Asylum would
of course be included in such a plan, but in the, meantime I trust to obtain sanction
for the construction of a proper tank in the Asylum, capable of containing two months'
supply of drinking water, to be conveyed from the Rajbaha, which runs close to the Asy-
lum garden; and I have called upon the Executive Engineer to furnish a plan and estimate
to be submitted to Government. There can be no doubt that excessive drought of last hot
weather exerted a considerable influence on the state of the water in all the wells, the
quantity was much diminished, so that the poison became more concentrated and power-
ful ; but I am not prepared to state that the whole of the sickness was caused by the im-
purity of the water, as the monthly returns show that there was no excessive mor-
tality or sickness until the fever appeared, and since its disappearance the Asylum has
been remarkably healthy and quite free from bowel complaint—or diseases attributable to
poison—although the greatest proportion (owing to the supply of canal failing) of water
used for drinking purposes has been supplied from a well near the Railway Station, which
though perhaps the purest in the neighbourhood, is still impregnated with organic
matter and salts.
I regret also to have to record a disastrous out-break, attended with loss of life,
and severe injuries to several of the attendants, that took place in the Asylum on the 24th
of March. An inmate of the Asylum named Keetapai, a non-criminal lunatic who had