10
5. One case of chronic mania improved and was made over to his mother,
after a residence of three months; and the lunatic who was discharged no
better was a feeble old woman whose friends satisfied the visitors and the
Magistrate that she would he taken care of outside; she never ceased crying
in the asylum.
6. Of the 7 discharged otherwise, six were admitted on account of acute
mania and one from chronic dementia, they are thus accounted for: two were
reported fit to stand their trial and were sent to Berar for this purpose, one
was cured and sent back to jail to complete his sentence, and four escaped. Of
these four, three were admitted for acute mania, two of them were very
violent on admission, they soon recovered and would have been brought up for
release at the next meeting of visitors, but finding themselves in an asylum on
reason returning they escaped. One was a Kaikari, thug or dacoit sent from
Hyderabad; he got away by climbing over the wall, having recovered his
reason. The fourth had been in the asylum for twelve years, suffering from
dementia, he also would have been discharged if his friends could be dis-
covered, there was not much improvement in his mental condition, which was
that of a harmless lunatic; he was employed on the farm and wandered away.
Thus the escape of one of the four only is a cause for regret.
7. Twenty-three died or more than double the mortality of the previous
year and approaching very closely that of 1874 which stood at 16.28 per cent
of average strength, whilst that of the year under report stood at 14.34.
8. Looking back to the records of the year 1874 I find that Dr. Beatson,
the Superintendent, attributed the heavy mortality to (a) bad health or advan-
ced age on admission ; (b) accumulation of elderly patients ; and (c) prevalence
of bowel disease: and these causes were also in operation in 1886. Of the total,
14 died from bowel disease, and of these four were in broken down health on
admission, creatures beyond hope of recovery. Eight had been from eleven to
twenty-two years in the asylum, six of these being over fifty years of age : two
died worn out from leprosy ; one expired during a severe epileptic attack ; one
committed suicide ; one died from anœmia after much treatment and nursing;
and one died from heat apoplexy ; two died from fever, one of these being fifty-
four years of age and after having been nineteen years in the asylum, the other
was fifty-one years of age ; and lastly one died from bronchitis.
9. During the first six months of the year eight died : six died during the
three following and nine died during the last three months of the year. Noth-
ing was left undone to stay this great mortality by searching out weakly cases
and treating the first symptoms of disease; but looking at them as I did daily
and frequently twice a day it seemed to me marvellous how in some cases life
was prolonged. Some were past hope on admission ; the leprosy cases were
hopeless : the case of hanging was enquired into magisterially at my request and
measures were taken which will effectually prevent a recurrence.
10. The Central Jail suffered to a greater extent in 1886 than during any
year—1883, a cholera year excepted—since 1878, the ratio of deaths per cent of
strength excluding decimals were for the years 1878 to 1886 these : 10, 2,
4, 2, 6, 10 (a cholera year), 4, 6, 9, the same medical officer having been in
charge during the last six.