NOTES ON THE WORKING OF THE PATNA LUNATIC ASYLUM,
BANKIPORE, FOR THE YEAR 1912.
1. Statement I—Admissions, discharges, etc.—At the commencement of
the year there were 190 males and 42 females, or a total of 232 patients
under treatment in the asylum. The numbers admitted during the year were
62 males and 7 females, the figures representing readmissions being 2 males
and 1 female ; those discharged numbered 22 males and 2 females ; and 17
males and 9 females died during the year.
The net increase in the population was, therefore, 22, the males having
increased by 25 and the females decreased by 3. Of those discharged, 19
males and 2 females were entered as cured; 3 males were made over
to friends in improved condition, and none were discharged otherwise. The
percentage of those cured to the daily average strength was 8.53 and to admis-
sions was 29.17 against 12.60 and 47.54 respectively in the previous year.
The increase in the population is due probably to recent administrative changes
which have made this the only asylum of a Province with a gross population
of about 34 millions. The capacity of the asylum is for 262 inmates or .007
per mille of the population. Provision is being made for another 45 inmates,
but even so the capacity is inadequate as compared with any European
country. On the other hand, the popular aversion to sending non-criminal
lunatics to Indian asylums seems to be breaking down. These institutions are
better appreciated year by year and there is every reason to expect that in
the near future a further increase of accommodation will be necessary.
2. Sickness and Mortality.—There were 182 patients treated in the Hospi-
tal during the year, 139 males and 43 females—and the average daily sick was
12.56 as compared with 8.75 in 1911. The largest number of admissions
were for fever 32, dysentery 26, tubercle of lungs 9, diarrhœa 7, anæmia
7 and pneumonia 3.
The total mortality was 26 as compared with 21 in 1911, i.e., 105.5 per
mille as compared with 91.2. The mortality was 42.10 per thousand for the
Patna Municipality.
Nine chronic cases were taken over from the previous year and out of the
72 patients admitted to the asylum 29 were in bad and 9 in indifferent physi-
cal health ; therefore the increased sickness and mortality are not surprising.
Mud-eating and coprophagia have been specially frequent during the year, and
all the dysentery, diarrhœa and anæmia (chiefly from
Ankylostomiasis)
may be attributed to these causes acting before and after admissions. The
hospital accommodation is too limited for segregation or something might be
done, besides what is done by incineration of excreta, to lessen these diseases.
A routine examination of excreta in all suspicious cases demonstrated the pre-
sence of worms in a large proportion, which were at once placed under treat-
ment. But more hospital accommodation for males is needed and a hospital
for females has been asked for as well as special hospital attendants for both
sexes.
3. Statement II—Criminal
Lunatics.—The number of patients of this
class admitted during the year was 32 of whom 31 were males and 1 female ;
of the males 2 were readmitted. Five males were discharged or transferred,
and 10 males and 3 females died, leaving 93 males and 6 females, or a total
of 99 criminal patients under treatment at the close of the year.
Criminal lunatics can only be separated at night from non-criminals
and no ill results have followed the association of the two classes. Indeed, some
of the most useful patients are men who are expiating crimes of impulsive
violence by patient attendance on the more degenerate.
Nevertheless a special asylum for criminal lunatics is desirable in order
that non-criminal lunatics be treated less like prisoners, and allowed a large
range of movement without high enclosing walls. No modern non-criminal
asylum should have the appearance of a penitentiary.
4. Statement III—Religion, sex and residence.—Of the 72 admissions
during the year, Hindus contributed 50 males and 3 females ; Mohamedans
8 males and 1 female ; Christians, 1 Indian, male.