Copy of INSPECTION REMARKS made by the Principal Medical Officer and
Sanitary Commissioner, Assam, on the lezpur Lunatic Asylum, under date the
3rd March 1896.
I INSPEGTED the Lunatic Asylum this morping apcompanjed by the Superintendent,
Surgeon-Major Macnamara.
The compound was extremely neat and tidy and the surface drains appeared to be
in good order.
The hospital was undergoing annual repairs; the other buildings have not as yet
been repaired. The work should be carried through as soon as practicable ; and care
should be taken to render the roofs thoroughly watertight.
Most of the sleeping barrack floors were covered with sand. These floors were, as
was to be expected, dry, as little or no rain has fallen for several months. During the
rains every effort should be made to keep up a good stock of dry sand, and the sand on
the floors should, during and for some time after the rains, be changed at least once a
week. In the rainy season the barrack walls on the sides on which there are no verandahs
must become wet when the wind happens to blow towards the unprotected sides. I
again recommend that both sides of the barracks be provided with verandahs in order
to keep the walls dry.
The floors of the criminal wards were covered with properly sifted earth, which was
iquite dry. These wards smelt distinctly close; in order to still further improve their
ventilation, openings should be made at the eaves on both sides of the wards. If
these are made, good lateral ventilation will be obtained.
The bedding was of good quality and was ample in quantity. Each inmate is
provided with two new and one old blanket. About 25 of the male inmates were in
possession of blanket coats and 40 of them have ccats made of dosuti, the rest of the
male lunatics did not have coats. Means should be taken to provide all the inmates
[with dosuti coats as soon as practicable, and arrangements should be made for having
a full supply of blanket coats ready before the beginning of next cold weather.
The raw articles of food were of good quality and the morning meal, which was
eaten in my presence, was very well cooked. The food of the female lunatics is
carried by the female warders from the cook-house into the female enclosure, and female
lunatics are never allowed to enter the male enclosure. The door between the two
enclosures is kept locked and the key remains in the possession of the Hospital
Assistant.
The filter with attached tank beside the well has been repaired, but it cannot be
used because proper taps have not been provided. The filter should be brought into
use as soon as practicable.
The latrines were in good order and the floors were covered with powdered earth.
The excreta are buried in trenches in the Asylum garden. These trenches should be
parallel to each other, they should be one foot dsep and one foot wide, and there should
be a distance of two feet between every two trenches. There should always be three
°r four trenches dug ready for use.
There was an ample supply of vegetables under cultivation in the gnrden. The
garden was in particularly good order.
There were 23 criminal and 68 ncn-criminal male lunatics and 1 female criminal
'Unatic and 23 female non-criminal lunatics in confinement, a total population of 115
They were all assembled for inspection, and most of them appeared to be in a very failly
good state of health. Sixteen males were sitting under shelter, making baskets, etc., 6
Women were weaving cloth, 3 were cleaning rice, and 10 were pounding surki.