Brief Notes to accompany the Annual Statements of the Lunatic
Asylum, Nagpur, for the year 1922.
Lieutenant-Colonel J. C. S. Oxley, I.M.S., was in charge of the Asylum
throughout the year except for three months, April, May and June, when
he was deputed to Pachmarhi as Civil Surgeon and Mr. Narbada Prasad
Shrivastava, L.M.&S., M.B., B.S., Assistant Surgeon, officiated for him.
2. The special feature of the year was the scarcity of water. In order to
supplement the ordinary supply measures were taken the cost of which amounted
to Rs. 5,600. Notwithstanding this increased expenditure the total cost to Govern-
ment was less than last year by about Rs. 6,000 as considerable savings accrued
due to non-payment of water-rate for sometime and to the reduction under cloth-
ing, diet, contingencies and establishment charges.
STATEMENT No. I.
Admissions.
3. At the beginning of the year there were 384 lunatics (304 males and
80 females) under confinement; 56 (44 males and 12
females) including 12 re-admissions (all males) were
admitted during the year making a total of 440 (348 males
and 92 females). The decrease in admissions, compared with last year the figure
for which was 95, is due to the fact that admissions of new lunatics from Central
India Agency, and those of the Central Provinces and Berar (except dangerous
and serious cases) was temporarily stopped under the orders of the Local Gov-
ernment from February to the middle of July 1922, owing to the scarcity of
water in the Asylum. The largest number of lunatics confined on any one night
during the year was 305 males and 81 females. There is accommodation in the
Asylum for 304 males and 126 females. The number of inmates at the close of
the year was 341 (267 males and 74 females) including 101 criminals against
384 and 106, respectively, last year. As usual the Nagpur district furnished the
largest number of admissions (19). Buldana contributed 8, Raipur 5, Bastar
State 1, Central India 1, and the rest were from other districts of Central
Provinces and Berar.
Discharged.
4. Seventy-nine lunatics were discharged this year against 63 last year;
36 were discharged as cured, 7 improved, 2 not improved
and 34 were discharged as otherwise against 50, 7, 1
and 5, respectively, in 1921. Of the 34 discharged as otherwise, 25 harmless
male lunatics were handed over to wealthy persons in the Central Provinces and
Berar as sanctioned by the Visitors for employment on their estates. It
appeared to the Superintendent of the Asylum that the instructions contained
in Book Circular, Part VII, No. 1, had been somewhat overlooked. At his
instance, therefore, the Local Government issued a Circular, No. 2526-1398-V,
dated the 17th October 1922, directing more careful observance of these
rules.
The total admissions dropped from 90 in the year 1921 to 44 in 1922.
It is true that admissions to the Asylum, except for Nagpur district and
dangerous cases, were stopped from February to the middle of July 1922 on
account of water scarcity, yet the patients detained in their own districts
could have been sent here in August had they remained insane. As there
was no particular rush of admissions when the embargo was removed, there is
a strong suspicion that unsuitable cases were formerly sent and that by
exercising more care and discrimination as required by the Book Circular
a similar reduction of admissions ought to be maintained in future.
Four were transferred to the list of non-criminals, 1 returned to jail owing
to the water scarcity and 4 escaped (3 males and 1 female). The escaped
were all non-criminals and are still at large. They were approaching recovery.
Cases under observation.
5. Three cases remained under observation on 1st January 1922, 30 were
admitted during the year against 31 last year. Of these
33, 15 were finally certified to be insanes and admitted
into the Asylum against 24 last year, 7 discharged by the Magistrates under
section 14 of Act IV of 1912, 9 were uncertified as they did not exhibit
symptoms of lunacy and 2 remained at the close of the year.