2
have no friends who are willing to take charge of her. The case admitted as "toxic insanity" is
that of a man who previously had been addicted to ganja, and was on account of mental
unsoundness acquitted of the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, in 1886.
He had been in the Central Jail since November 1886, and the Jail report states that he has
been quiet and well behaved since May 1887. He was transferred to the asylum by the
orders of the Local Government. The last case above referred to as "re-transferred" from the
Central Jail was that of a criminal lunatic who committed murder in 1880, was tried and
acquitted on the ground of insanity. He has shown no signs of insanity from the date of his
first admission to the asylum in April 1881, and has worked at the Nagpur Central Jail most
of the time. By the orders of Government he was re-transferred to the Lunatic Asylum for
the purpose of being examined by a Commission, composed of the Judicial Commissioner, the
Deputy Surgeon-General and the Superintendent of the Asylum, as to his mental condition. This
Commission after examination found that he was not insane, but did not recommend his
release. The man re-admitted from the Berars suffering from epileptic insanity, had been
previously in the asylum and escaped in 1888. This man has still to be constantly watched
and kept in confinement, owing to persistent attempts to escape.
STATEMENT No. VII.
Alleged causes of insanity.
It is difficult to place any reliance on the various alleged causes of the insanity in parti-
cular cases. Physical causes (fever, epilepsy, &c.) of insanity claim
9 out of the total admissions in 1891. In the cases of 20 lunatics
no cause of the insanity could be traced.
STATEMENT No. VIII.
Return of sick to hospital.
There were in all 96 admissions to hospital: remittent and intermittent types of fever
accounted for 51 admissions, and there were 10 cases of bronchitis,
and 1 isolated and fatal case of cholera occurred in the month of
April. This man, who had been an inmate of the asylum since March
1889, was working with the other lunatics, and up to the date of his being attacked had been
eating and drinking precisely the same regular food and water as the others did, and there
were no known cases of cholera about in the station or district at the time. The symptoms
were indistinguishable from those of ordinary cholera, but as the man was noted for filthy,
dirty habits, and between meal times was in the habit of picking up and eating pieces of filth
and rubbish that were lying about the asylum grounds, it is possible that he may have eaten
some putred animal substance, and that it may have been a case of acute ptomaine poisoning,
the symptoms of which sometimes are practically indistinguishable from those of cholera.
It may be remarked that the great body of lunatics, not only at this time but through-
out the year, remained singularly free from bowel complaints, and this is evident in that no cases
of diarrhœa were admitted to hospital, and only one case of dysentery throughout the year.
There were 4 cases of general debility admitted to hospital.
In October, November and December it was noticed that the lunatics lost weight, became
anœmic, and their gums became spongy. About this time also I observed a great many cases
of undoubted land scurvy amongst the free population of the city and district, in the Police
and Mayo Hospitals, and I believe there were cases noted in the Central Jail; also in the other
dispensaries in the town. The precise cause of this very general prevalence of land scurvy
at Nagpur about this time (I observed cases amongst Europeans as well as amongst natives) I
could not find out. Probably more than one factor entered into the causation. The cause was
not any diminution in the vegetable food supply of the lunatics, as there was always an abund-
ance of green vegetables procurable from the asylum garden, and given daily to the lunatics;
and besides, as above noted, a very large number of the free population, whose vegetable
supply was pratically unlimited and within their own control, were affected, and affected to a
very much worse extent than the inmates of the asylum were be it noted. The rain-fall, 67
inches 96 cents as registered at the Lunatic Asylum, was much higher than that registered any
year since 1854. This excessive soaking of the surface soil with water may possibly have