( 5 )
had never given indication of a tendency to develop violent symptoms, slipt into
a godown in February and emerged with a chopper. Meeting another lunatic
drawing water Gurdin attacked him, hacked at his neck and severed his head from
his body. The murder was accomplished almost instantaneously and without any
noise, and until a warder noticed Gurdin standing by the headless corpse no one
realized what had happened. Seeing the warder coming towards him Gurdin
threatened him with the chopper, but on the former advancing Gurdin ran into
Major Cochrane's garden where Major Cochrane and some guests had assembled.
Major Cochrane went straight to Gurdin and while speaking soothingly to him
pinned his arms to his sides and wrested the chopper from his grasp. Major
Cochrane's promptitude and skill averted the imminent danger of another
murderous attack. The recognition by the Lieutenant-Governor of his prompt
and courageous action was conveyed to Major Cochrane and his conduct was
brought by Government to the notice of the Director-General of the Indian Medical
Service. The warder, Baldeo, was rewarded with a gratuity of two months' pay.
Since this case the choppers formerly used for cutting up vegetables have been
replaced by other more suitable appliances thus reducing the risk of such an
occurrence to a minimum.
At Benares there was a death from opium poisoning in 1909 ; the case was
one of suicide. In the following year a lunatic met his death from injuries caused
by a dangerous epileptic lunatic who attacked and threw him down. Another
death was due to strangulation ; it was a case of suicide. In 1911 a lunatic, an
old man, accidently upset some boiling dal over his chest and abdomen causing a
severe superficial scald to which he succumbed ten days later. A lunatic died
from injuries caused by another lunatic. The aggressor is liable to fits of epilepsy
preceded by sudden outbursts of violence.
Sickness and
cures.
6. The daily average strength of the asylums in 1911 was 1185.25 against
1157.00 in 1910 and 1147.85 in 1909, and the daily average sick was 133.05 in
1911, 113.47 in 1910 and 132.94 in 1909. The number of cures was 106 in 1911
against 139 and 122 in the two preceding years, and the percentage of cures to
the daily average strengh was 10.63, 1201 and 8.94 in 1909, 1910 and 1911
respectively.
The chief causes of sickness were —
Bareilly ...
Agra ...
Benares ...
Phthisis.
36
23
3
Epilepsy.
10
23
89
Pneumonia.
23
88
3
Dysentery.
24
115
93
Diarrhœa.
26
14
43
Heart disease.
...
...
2
Malarial fever.
48
164
238
Heat stroke.
...
8
...
General
debility.
...
58
18
Influenza.
...
2
...
Anæmia.
...
94
15
Bright's
disease.
11
...
...
Criminal
Lunatics.
7. Statement II.—The number of criminal lunatics on the 1st January 1911
was 185, the admissions during the year 59 making a total population of 244 as
compared with 219 in 1910 and 227 in 1909. Of the 244, 23 were discharged or
transferred, 7 died, the number remaining on the 31st December being 214 against
185 in 1910 and 182 in 1909. The daily average strength (196.65) was the lowest
on record during the last six years.
A comparison of the present triennium with that ending with the year 1908
reveals the following :—
In confinement at commencement of triennium ...
Admissions ... ... ...
Total ...
Discharged and died ... ... ...
In confinemeat at close of triennium ... ...
1906—1908
280
161
441
235
206
1909—1911.
206
117
323
109
214