BRIEF NOTES TO ACCOMPANY THE ANNUAL STATEMENTS
OF THE LUNATIC ASYLUM OF NAGPUR FOR
THE YEAR 1916.
Lieutenant-Colonel P. F. Chapman, I. M. S., was in charge of the asylum
throughout the year except for a period of six weeks (from the 7th May 1916
to the 17th June 1916), when he was on privilege leave and Mr. T. W. Quinn,
Civil Surgeon, officiated for him.
STATEMENT I.
Admissions.
2. 366 lunatics (288 males and 78 females) were under confinement
at the beginning of the year. There was slight over-
crowding throughout the year on the male side, as the
accommodation in the asylum is for 274 males only. Admissions (including
1 readmission and 27 cases under observation) were 111 (82 males and 29
females), against 137 in the past year. Of the 111 admissions, 22 were
criminals (17 males and 5 females). The Nagpur District as usual furnished
the largest number (26) of the admissions. At the close of the year the
total number of inmates in the asylum was 362, including 97 criminal lunatics,
against 366 and 94 last year. There was no lunatic under observation at
the end of the year.
Discharges.
3. 75 lunatics were discharged this year, against 99 in the previous
year; 40 were discharged as cured, 5 improved and
30 discharged as otherwise, against 56, 4 and 39,
respectively, in the past year. Of the 30 discharged otherwise, 29 were cases
under observation. Out of 40 discharged as cured, 3 were females.
Sickness and mortality.
4. 219 lunatics (164 males and 55 females) were admitted into the
hospital, against 197 last year. Of these, 46 were dis-
charged as cured, 133 transferred to the infirm gang
and 40 died (26 males and 14 females), leaving no balance at the close of the
year. Out of the 40 deaths, 2 patients received in a moribund condition died
within one month of their admissions. The deaths were from tubercle
of the lungs (11), other tubercular infection (6), dysentery (8), debility and
old age (4), epilepsy (2), plurisy (2), and one each from sunstroke, pyrexia,
obstruction of bowels, heart disease, meningitis, peritonitis and scurvy.
There were 13 admissions from Port Blair last year. Of these, 4 died in
1915. Out of the remaining 9 lunatics from Port Blair, 2 died this year, 2 are in bad
health, 4 in the infirm gang, and 1 in fair health. Of the 17 deaths from
tubercular infection, 4 were received infected from outside and the remaining 13
probably contracted the infection in the asylum. Of the 8 deaths from dysentery
against 11 last year, 2 were among new admissions.
5. Oleum eucalypti and santonine treatment were given to all the inmates
once during the year, and the result of the examination of stools was as under :—
Year.
1915 ... ...
1916 ... ...
Infected with parasite.
One kind.
52
76
Two kinds.
20
9
Three kinds.
3
2
Four kinds.
1
...
No ankylostoma or trichocephalus worms were found this year, though ova
were detected in numerous cases; but there were a number of patients suffering
from thread worms, 17 round worms and one of cestode. Among the new
admissions, ankylostoma infection was found in 8 lunatics received from Nagpur,
Chanda, Chhindwara, Indore, Raipur, Jubbulpore and Akola. The percentage
of infection in new admissions was 9.52 against 17.30 last year. The number
of stools examined was 375 against 382 last year.