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STATEMENT II.
Criminal Lunatics—On the 1st of January 1918, there were altogether
143 criminal insanes in the Patna Asylum.
During the year 24
patients of this class, including one case of re-admission, were admitted into
this asylum and 18 into the European Asylum at Ranchi. Of these, five
only were females, two at Patna and three at Ranchi. No criminal lunatics
were either discharged or died at the Ranchi Asylum. Two of them, however,
who had been declared by the visitors as " sane " broke parole and escaped
from the asylum while the Local Governments concerned were being approach-
ed for final orders for their disposal. They were recaptured after the close of
the year. The attendants responsible for their escape were suitably punished.
At Patna, five of these lunatics were transferred to the non-criminal list, twelve
were sent for trial, four were discharged from the asylum and transferred to
their friends, and twelve died. There was no undue detention of criminal
lunatics convicted of offences of a trivial nature. The number was reduced as
far as possible in pursuance of the orders of Government enjoining the release
of such lunatics. The daily average strength of Europeans was 5.-6 while
that of Indians was 141.46 against 144.43 in the previous year.
STATEMENTS III, IV & V.
Religion, sex, residence, occupation and age.—Statements III, IV and V
embodying particulars regarding religion, sex, residence, previous occupation
and age do not offer any special points for comment.
STATEMENT VI.
Types of Insanity.—The principal types of insanity treated at the Ranchi
Asylum were idiocy (12), mania (26), delusional insanity (43) and dementia
(78) with six recoveries only, two under the head impulsive and obsessive
insanity and one each under the heads mania, confusional insanity, alcoholic
insanity and insanity caused by cannabis indica or its preparations or deriva-
tives.
Amongst those confined at Patna, both old and new, 167 were treated for
mania, 60 for melancholia, 11 for mental stupor, 19 for delusional insanity,
38 for dementia and 29 for insanity caused by cannabis indica and its pre-
parations or derivatives with 14, 3, 2, 1, 7 and 3 recoveries, respectively. Three
cases of general paralysis of the insane were also admitted into the Ranchi
Asylum and were still there at the close of the year.
STATEMENT VII.
Aetiological factors.—The most common "predisposing causes" of insanity
among the Europeans were heredity (30 or 16.6 per cent), syphilis (16 or 8.8
per cent), alcohol (12 or 6.6 per cent), mental instability (12 or 6.6 per cent),
mental stress (11 or 6.1 per cent), child bearing (8 or 4.4 per cent), and
diseases of nervous system (8 or 4.4 per cent). In no cases were the exciting
causes known. In 75 cases (42 males and 33 females), no causes were definitely
assignable.
Amongst the Indian insanes at Patna, the most prominent of both exciting
and predisposing causes were mental stress (15 or 12.9 per cent), toxic, chiefly
ganja (22 or 18.9 per cent) and diseases of nervous system (11 or 9.5 per cent).
No causes were either assigned or ascertained in 51 cases.
STATEMENTS VIII AND X.
Finance and Expenditure.—The total receipts under all heads aggregated
Rs. 1,03,738 at the Ranchi Asylum and Rs. 43,524 at the Patna Asylum.
These figures include Rs. 6,220, received as fees from 44 inmates who remained
in the Ranchi Asylum as paying patients and also Rs. 2,575 received on account
of the work done by the inmates of the Patna Asylum in connection with
a road in the Patna General Hospital. The charges for the upkeep of the asylums
were Rs. 77,534 at Ranchi and Rs. 40,116 at Patna and the charges on account
of work done by the Public Works Department amounted to Rs. 19,971 and
Rs. 512 respectively. The net cost which Government had to bear for the care,
custody and maintenance of each lunatic at the Patna Asylum, disregarding