( 3 )
were received from districts in Assam. The asylum returns show that the majo-
rity of the lunatics come from the lowest and poorest classes of the community,
whilst the census returns show that the incidence of insanity is greatest
amongst the well-to-do. The explanation of this discrepancy is simple;
the asylum population is mainly composed of criminal lunatics and those
unfortunate insanes who cannot be supported by their friends and who as
flotsam and jetsam of the population drift into the asylums. On the other
hand, individuals of the better and wealthier classes who become insane are
cared for and housed by their relatives.
Statement VI.
Deals with the varieties of insanity met with in the asylums. As in
former years, mania heads the list with a total of
811, or more than 60 per cent. of the total number.
Melancholia comes next in frequency, being represented by 236 cases. The
explanation of the preponderance of mania over other forms of insanity
amongst the inmates of the asylums lies in the fact that in India insanes
are not usually brought to asylums until they become a nuisance as being noisy
or violent. In English Asylums this order of frequency is the same, melan-
cholia being however much more common than in India. It is noteworthy that
no case of general paralysis of the insane was seen in the asylums during the
year, and that only six cases of idiocy were admitted.
Statement VII.
Gives statistics regarding the alleged causes of insanity in so far as the
inmates are concerned. These, however, cannot
be looked on as a very trustworthy guide in a study
of the influences leading up to insanity amongst the people generally. In
the majority of cases no accurate history can be obtained and the difficulty of
distinguishing post from propter in such cases is notoriously great; the fact
that in 727 cases no cause could be assigned is a significant one. As in former
years intoxicants are credited with a large proportion of the cases; being repre-
sented by 235 individuals. Ganja and alcohol are the forms of intoxicant
most frequently mentioned. Cocaine has yet to find a place in this list.
Amongst other causes noted are heredity, epilepsy, and "moral" influences.
The fact remains that the etiology of insanity amongst the people of Bengal,
as in other parts of India, has still to be worked out.
Statements VIII, IX, X, XI and
A and B.
Financial.—The total expenditure less the amount (Rs. 13,880) received from
paying patients, &c., totalled Rs. 136,765 against
Rs. 129,018 in the previous year, the increase
being accounted for by an increase in the expendi-
ture on building and repairs (Rs. 16,514 against Rs. 9,978 in 1902). The total
cost per lunatic was Rs. 129-12-6, as compared with Rs. 125-10-8 in 1902.
Excluding the expenditure on the Bhowanipur European Asylum, the total cost
amounted to Rs. 1,03,257, against Rs. 1,01,560 in the preceding year, the
average expenditure per head in the native asylums being Rs. 101-12-4.
Deducting the amount received from paying patients, the charges of the Public
Works Department, and the payments on account of rates and taxes, the cost
per lunatic works out as Rs. 88-12-5 against Rs. 91-1-10 in 1902 The income
from paying patients during the year fell from Rs. 15,580 in 1902 to Rs. 13,857,
the decrease being due partly to a diminution in the number of paying
patients treated in the asylums at Dullunda and Berhampore and partly to the
fact that the receipts during 1902 were swollen by payments outstanding from
the previous year. Profits on manufactures show a considerable decrease as
compared with the returns for the previous year, the total sum realised being
Rs. 4,934 as compared with Rs. 6,688 in that year. The decrease was most
marked in Dullunda and Dacca although it occurred in all the asylums. It is
accounted for by depreciation in the value of plant and machinery, depreciation
in the value of and deaths amongst the cows in the asylum dairies with a
diminution in the receipts from the sale of vegetables in all the asylums. The
profits realised in the Patna Asylum amounted to Rs. 16-10 only.
The most serious item in the expenditure was the cost of diet, which
amounted to Rs. 50,288 as compared with Rs. 50,793 in 1902, and Rs. 51,215
in 1901. Excluding the European Asylum, the rates were highest at Dullunda,
where the charges for diet amounted to Rs. 52-4-3 per head of population,
Cuttack following closely with an average of Rs. 47-3-1. The charges for
medicines were higher in Dacca than in any other asylum, and amounted