RESOLUTION.
MEDICAL.
Calcutta, the 3rd August 1878.
READ—
The Report on the Lunatic Asylums in Bengal for the year 1877.
Read again—
The Reports for previous years with orders of Government passed upon them.
IT was noticed in the Resolution on the report for 1876 that, for the first
time for several years, the number of lunatics confined in the Bengal asylums
had shown a decrease. A still further decrease is recorded in the returns for
1877. The number in confinement on the last day of each of the past eight
years was—
1870
...
...
1871 ... ...
1872 ... ...
1873 ... ...
783
827
972
1,003
1874 ... ...
1875
...
...
1876 ... ...
1877 ... ...
1,074
1,147
1,131
1,077
The number of first admissions during the past year was only 247
against 329 in 1876. The largest diminution is shown in the Dullunda Asylum,
where only 78 new patients were received against 130 in the previous year.
In Dacca 50 were received against 61, in Cuttack 14 against 20, in Berhampore
21 against 35, and in Hazareebagh 10 against 9. In Patna the number
admitted was 74 in both years. The Lieutenant-Governor is not satisfied
that Magistrates yet thoroughly appreciate the necessity of a strict adherence
to the principles laid down by Government for the admission of harmless
lunatics into public institutions, and symptoms are visible from time to time
of a tendency to utilize these asylums as pauper-homes or work-houses. It
must be distinctly understood that Government cannot allow lunatic asylums
to be thus employed. These asylums are institutions for the restraint and treat-
ment of violent lunatics, and for the treatment of such harmless lunatics as may
be suffering from insanity in forms which are most likely to yield to care and
skill. They must not be filled with harmless chronic lunatics who happen to be
destitute as well. The Lieutenant-Governor finds it his duty to impress upon
the officers of Government that Government is no more able to undertake
the support of these unfortunate people from the public revenues than it
is to feed and house all destitute cripples, or the deaf and dumb and blind.
There is every reason to believe that, if Magistrates would consider the
extent of the resources at the disposal of Government for these purposes,
the number of the harmless insane sent to asylums might be still further reduced.
In order to facilitate the prosecution of enquiries for the relatives and friends
of wandering harmless lunatics sent in by the police, the Lieutenant-Gover-
nor has recently sanctioned their retention for short periods in special wards
in district jails.
2. The total number of lunatics discharged was 266 against 263 in
1876. Under the orders of Government, special enquiries were made to
ascertain what number of lunatics who had been unnecessarily admitted
might be made over to the custody of their friends. These enquiries had
not been concluded at the close of the year, but they had the result of
raising the number shown as discharged " improved" from 80 to 96. It
is anticipated that it will be possible still further to relieve the asylums
by the discharge of lunatics of this class, who have either partially recovered
their reason or passed the acute stage of insanity where there is most probability
of cure.
3. The total number cured was 147 against 130 in 1876. Calculated on
the average mean population of the asylums, the ratio of cures was 13 per cent.
against 10.6, the ratio of the previous year. Calculated on the number of
admissions it was 51.57 against 35.5. While therefore on the one hand the
gross population of the asylums has been kept down, on the other the new
admissions have consisted in greater proportion than formerly of cases of the
acute forms of insanity. Thus 57 out of 78 cases admitted into Dullunda were of