6
REPORT ON THE LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN BURMA
(2) to reduced yield per cow through old age of many of the cows.
Old and deteriorating cows have been sold off when they became, for
milking purposes, not worth their keep" and while they still had sale
value ; but as yet no fresh purchases of cows have been made. Sales
were as follows :—
7 in 1923 for Rs. 577-10-0
15 in 1922 for Rs. 509-2-6
17 in 1920 for Rs. 781-13-0 and
27 in 1919 for Rs. 1,616-13-6
Foot-and-mouth disease broke out in 1922 and five animals died of the
disease. They were treated by the Veterinary Department.
18. Committee.—Twelve meetings were held at the Rangoon Lunatic
Asylum during the year one in each month, the highest number present
at a meeting was eleven in March and June, and the lowest was four in
December. The Commissioner. Rangoon Division, and the President,
Corporation of Rangoon, were appointed as members in place of the
Commissioner, Pegu Division and the Commissioner of the Rangoon
Corporation respectively. One of ten members of the Minbu Asylum
Committee, three on an average attended each of the five meetings held
during the year.
19. Donation.—There
has been no receipt from the public to the
Inmates Donation Fund except a sum of Rs. 100 from His Excellency
Sir Harcourt Butler, G.C.I.E., K.C.S.I., I.C.S., Governor of Burma.
20. Generals.—The medical history sheets of patients received from
committing magistrates rarely furnish any useful information as to
hereditary influences and past history of the patients and therefore
rendered the diagnosis difficult. This document appears too often to
be filled in without enquiries being made or of any attempt to furnish
the requisite particulars. The answer to important questions is usually
given therein as " unknown." A document prepared thus without
realising its importance renders accurate statistics, regarding influences
of hereditary habits, occupation, district and aetiological factors impos-
sible. In some cases, persons brought to trial for offences and found
insane remain for long periods awaiting the necessary authority for their
transfer to an asylum. Estimation of their original clinical type of
disorder in the absence of detailed case histories are often very
difficult.
In Rangoon, with the approval of the Local Government, the half
yearly examination of criminal lunatics is made now by the Committee in
six groups—one in each month in rotation—instead of all in one group in
one month which was done till the end of 1922. In Minbu, half the
number of inmates are examined by the Committee of Visitors every
three months. These arrangements are reported to work satisfactorily.
Delays and omissions to send the prescribed documents with
criminal lunatics were brought to notice and orders were issued by the
Local Government to the authorities concerned for the due observance
of the rules.
Revised rules regarding admissions and the domicile and transfer
of civil lunatics were also issued by the Local Government.
Owing to the shortage in police force, the Commissioner of Police
expressed his inability to supply escorts for civil female patients to their
homes when discharged from the asylum. The Committee considered
an escort was necessary and recommended that a female keeper of the
asylum should be deputed for that purpose. The recommendation was
accepted