Notes on the annual statistics relating to the Lunatic Asylums
in the United Provinces for the year 1912.
In March the law relating to lunacy was consolidated and amended in Act
No. IV of 1912, and much benefit, it is anticipated, will result from the various
changes introduced. Draft rules in accordance with sections 5, 16 and 21 of the
Act were submitted to Government during the year for orders.
Statements VI and VII of the annual returns were revised by the
Government of India in March. The Government of India has been addressed
regarding the cases which should be entered in columns 150 and 162 (" Moral
insanity " and "Insanity of Haschisch") of statement VI, and the question of
the revision of both statements has been referred to the Director-General, Indian
Medical Service.
2. The following officers were in charge of the asylums during the year:—
Agra ... ...
Benares ... ...
Bareilly ... ...
Captain Overbeck-Wright.
Lieutenant-Colonel Crawford.
Lieutenant-Colonel Woodwright.
Captain Cameron held charge of the Benares Asylum from the 30th August
to the 1st October during the deputation of Lieutenant-Colonel Crawford to
Kasauli for a course of clinical bacteriology.
Bareilly ..
Benares ..
Agra ..
1911.
80
58
170
308
1912.
98
84
224
406
Increase.
18
26
54
98
3. The total admissions, including readmissions, were 406 against 308 during
the previous year. The increase is common to all
three asylums. The Superintendent of the Agra
Asylum states that the increase in that institution
" can in no way be taken as due to an increase in the
prevalence of insanity in the Province but to the
Indian gradually getting rid of the idea that an asylum is merely a place of
confinement, a type of jail, and becoming inculcated with the knowledge that it is
a hospital for the cure of illness. The recovery rate has gone far to spread this
among the Indian population, and the very much larger number of acute cases
admitted and the marked increase in the number of paying Indian patients
supports this assertion.''
4. The number discharged during the year was 228 against 164 in the
previous year. It is satisfactory to note that the number discharged as cured rose
from 106 in 1911 to 155 in 1912. The daily average sick rose from 133.05 in 1911
to 171.56 in 1912 and the percentage of cures to the daily average strength from
8.94 to 12.56. The number of deaths (118) were the same as in the previous year.
There was no over-crowding in the asylums. The accommodation at Benares has
recently been increased to 373 on account of the new cell barrack being opened.
5. As regards deaths two of the three asylums report a decrease, namely
Bareilly 23 against 29 and Benares 36 against 45. Although the deaths at Agra
rose from 44 to 59 the increased death rate is not an indication of bad health in
the asylum for, in spite of a very trying hot weather at Agra, the health of the
inmates was, as a whole, good. The higher death rate was due (1) to the very
bad physical condition of many of the new admissions, (24 deaths occurring among
those less than 12 months resident in the asylum), and (2) to the large number of
deaths (12) due to senility and old age and to tubercle (18).
The chief causes of sickness in the three asylums were :—
Table showing the chief causes of sickness.
Asylum.
Bareilly ...
Benares ...
Agra ...
Total ...
Phthisis.
1911.
11
...
4
15
1912.
15
7
30
52
Epilepsy.
1911.
2
20
7
29
1912.
6
12
7
25
Pneumonia.
1911.
2
1
11
14
1912.
1
5
12
18
Dysentery.
1911.
9
41
40
90
1912.
3
22
16
41
Diarrhœa.
1911.
8
11
5
24
1912.
8
1
1
10
Heart Dis-
ease.
1911.
...
...
...
...
1912.
2
1
1
4
Malaria
Fever.
1911.
22
22
20
64
1912.
8
17
22
47
Heatstroke.
1911.
...
...
4
4
1912.
...
...
...
...
General
Debility.
1911.
...
14
23
37
1912.
...
23
35
58
Influenza.
1911.
...
...
1
1
1912.
...
...
...
...
Anaemia.
1911.
...
12
21
33
1912.
5
7
15
27
Bright's
Disease.
1911.
7
...
...
7
1912.
4
...
...
4