ANNUAL REPORT
ON
THE LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN THE PUNJAB
For 1871-72.
DEHLI LUNATIC ASYLUM.
No. 51, dated Dehli, 21st March 1872.
From—Lieutenant-Colonel J. E. CRACROFT, Commissioner and Superintendent, Dehli Division
To—The Offg. Secretary to Government, Punjab
IN reply to your No. 812, dated 11th instant, I have the honor to state
that having taken charge of the Dehli Division on the 11th December 1871, I
visited the Lunatic Asylum on the 21st idem, and recorded the following
remarks:—
" I inspected the Lunatic Asylum this morning in company with Mr. Knox,
Deputy Commissioner, and Dr. Penny, Superintendent. Everything appeared
to be in satisfactory order. The accommodation for dangerous lunatics seemed,
however, to be capable of improvement: the doors are very bad, and the rooms
consequently insecure."
2. I did not consider that any remarks I could offer on the management
during the year would be of any value, as I had only recently taken charge,
and everything about the institution seemed to be in excellent order.
No, 76, dated Dehli, 24th February 1872
From—J. C. PENNY, Esq., M.D., Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, Delhi
To—The Deputy Commissioner, Dehli
I HAVE the honor to forward the new tabular statements, from No. 1 to No. 18,
called for in Circular Order No. 105, dated 26th December 1871, and to place on record my
experience of the management of the Dehli Lunatic Asylum.
This important institution has reached the fifth year of its re-establishment.
A Lunatic Asylum existed many years before the mutiny, and on the 11th May 1857
there were 110 inmates, all of whom escaped.
After the mutiny it was again organized and lasted till 1861, when the whole of the
lunatics were removed to the Lahore Lunatic Asylum.
It was in consequence of the barbarous practice of confining lunatics in the Dehli Jail
that the present Asylum owes its existence. The original building had many faults, but by
additions, alterations, and improvements made during the past five years it has attained
nearly all the requisites of a well-ordered asylum. The building is in the form of a square,
and is divided internally into ten separate and distinct enclosures,—the hospital and servants'
quarters in the centre, separating the male from the female patients.
I mentioned in my Report for 1870 the arrangements which were made to classify and
to separate the noisy and turbulent patients from the quiet ones, and the construction of an
observing ward for the retention of suspected cases of insanity.
I have not found the padded rooms either necessary or advisable, and have accordingly
removed the leather work, and merely spread a good layer of river sand on the floor.
During the past year a good water-supply has been provided : a well containing
excellent drinking-water has been restored by the Municipality, and by means of a water-
course the water is conveyed to a large tank or reservoir in the Asylum garden, and thence
it can be distributed to the different airing courts.
The supply of good drinking-water, the levelling and tidying up the broken ground out-
-ide the Lunatic Asylum, the planting of trees, and the construction of two excellent roads
have been great improvements during 1871.