[The text of this Report is limited to five pages]
TRIENNIAL REPORT
ON THE
WORKING OF THE PUNJAB LUNATIC ASYLUM,
for the years 1906, 1907 and 1908.
Population.
1. During the three years under review the number of patients admitted ,
the total population, and hence the aver-
age strength, of the Asylum, has shown a
steady increase annually. It is not to be supposed that the establishment of an
institution of this kind should be coincident with a general increase of lunacy in
the Province, and it may reasonably be presumed that as its benefits have become
known, more patients are sent here instead of being as formerly retained in their
own homes, a presumption strengthened by the fact that many are now brought
by their friends or relatives who beg for their admission ; and insanes even have
boon known to return voluntarily. It will be noticed that the increase is almost
entirely confined to males. The native objections to removal of females from
their own homes is so deep-rooted that this is easily understood it is unlikely to
be changed for a long period, and that despite the very great advantages now
Female.
offered by a completely detached separate
asylum for women and most sympathetic,
painstaking, direct care by the Franciscan sisters who have replaced the matron,
advantages which are well recognised by the friends of the inmates so much so,
as to occasionally lead to high-caste Hindu and Muhammadan women having
been placed in it by their guardians, a mark of confidence rarely given to any
institution in the country. With these few exceptions, however, a large majority
of the women are unfortunates who had wandered away in the acute stage of their
malady and then been apprehended, and the remainder are females who were too
dangerous and troublesome to be retained at home. The overerowding of the
male asylum has been very great, for while its actual accommodation is only for
468, the number confined has even amounted to 520. Large additions have, how-
ever, been sanctioned and are now in course of erection.
Cures.
2. The percentage of cured of both sexes with daily average strength com-
pares favourably with other institutions,
and the apparent exception to this state-
ment in 1907 is obviously accounted for by the very heavy death rate of that
year. Curiously enough the number of admissions and the average strength,
both always fall during the cold weather, a fact not easy of explanation.
Criminal Lunatics.
3. The number of criminal lunatics under detention has also steadily
increased each year ; apparently in addi-
tion to a real increase many were formerly
retained in the jails of the Province, whereas all are now sent here shortly after
trial.
Type of Insanity causes.
4. As regards the type of cases seen here—in this country there is such a
great objection to allowing an insane
person to be removed added to the fact
that natives of India do not readily believe a man to be insane unless his speech
is deranged—that it results (although the former prejudice is gradually being
removed)—that practically all those received here are men rendered so trouble-
some and dangerous by their disease that they cannot possibly be retained else-
where, and this accounts for the vastly greater number of cases of mania than
other varieties of insanity admitted. In the Punjab too, the habit of taking hemp
drugs, either as charas or bhang, is relatively very prevalent—(a habit it may be
added restricted to males) and very many of the cases are a result of this, i.e.,
those of toxic mania, a form of insanity
very definite in its characteristics and
Hemp drug insanity.