TRIENNIAL REPORT ON THE PATNA LUNATIC ASYLUM
FOR THE YEARS 1912, 1913 AND 1914.
1. THIS is the first Triennial Report on the working of the Patna Lunatic
Asylum, embracing the years 1912, 1913 and 1914.
2. Statement I—deals with admissions and discharges.—The total number
of lunatics under confinement was 254 in 1912, 281 in 1913 and 302 in 1914,
or an average of 279 against 231 in the previous triennium.
The daily average was 246.30 in 1912, 275.08 in 1913 and 288.57 in 1914.
There has thus been a steady increase in the number under confinement. The
proportion of criminal lunatics to the total population on the 31st December
of each year under report was 38.97, 38.79 and 45.36 per cent., the average
being 41.04 against 37.83 in the previous triennium.
3. Admissions.—The total number of admissions (excluding readmissions)
was 69 in 1912, 85 in 1913 and 94 in 1914, the average number admitted
being 82 against 52 in the preceding triennium.
The causes of increase in the triennium under review are primarily the
creation of the new Province of Bihar and Orissa with only one asylum for
the insane, but it seems also that the public are more willing than in previous
years to send their insane to an asylum, in consequence of which harmless
village simpletons and harmless lunatics and even the deaf and dumb have
been sent to this asylum for trivial offences, their friends refusing to accept
responsibility.
4. Readmissions.—The total number of readmissions was 3 in 1912, 5 in 1913
and 2 in 1914. Of the readmissions 4 were criminals and 6 non-criminals; out
of the criminals 2 were admitted after an absence of two years nine months and
twenty-eight days and two years four months and twenty-two days in 1912, and
of the remaining 2, 1 was admitted after trial in 1913, having been absent for four
months and one day and the other after an absence of one year and one month
and five days from the asylum, having been originally discharged as a non-
criminal. Considering that the readmissions formed such a small proportion
of cases it may safely be stated that most of the lunatics who were discharged
cured returned to the world as useful members of society.
5. Discharges.—The total number of lunatics discharged during 1912, 1913
and 1914 was 24, 21 and 33 respectively. Of these 21, 19 and 25 were recover-
ed, and 3, 1 and 4 were made over to the care of the friends as " improved "
The percentage of recoveries calculated on daily average strength was 8.53 in
1912, 6.90 in 1913 and 8.66 in 1914, an average of 8.03 against 12 46 in the
previous three years. The decrease in the percentage of recoveries during the
triennium under report was due to the steady accumulation of chronic in-
curable cases and partly to the nature of the new cases admitted. There was,
however, an unusually large percentage of recoveries in 1914 amongst females
whose cases are as a rule the most intractable, the percentage of recoveries
amongst females being 4.99 in 1912, 4.90 in 1913 and 17.62 in 1914, and that
amongst males 9.21, 7.26 and 6.99 respectively.
6. Accommodation—Since the constitutional changes in 1912, the Patna
Lunatic Asylum is the only asylum in the whole of the newly-created Province
of Bihar and Orissa. The accommodation here was inadequate for the lunatics
of the whole province, and steps were taken for additional building. The
capacity was raised in 1913 from 262 to 306 by the construction of a new
sleeping ward for 40 males and 4 cells for dangerous lunatics. The inevitable
overcrowding which would otherwise have occurred, owing to the fact that the
maximum number confined on one night during 1913 was 290 against 261 in
1912, was thus avoided. In view of the steady increase of the daily average
it was thought that even this increased accommodation, referred to above,
would be insufficient. Hence sanction was obtained and works started in 1914
for a female ward with 10 cells and a male ward with 40 beds. On completion
of these the capacity of the asylum will be raised from 306 to 356.