NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
6
Of the above 60 patients :—
Discharged for trial
Transferred to non-criminal class and
subsequently discharged.
Improved by staying in Mental Hospital
Recovered sanity by staying in Mental
Hospital.
No improvement .. ..
Total ..
Male.
1
4
17
5
28
55
Female.
1
2
..
1
1
5
Total
2
6
17
6
29
60
List showing number of criminal patients resident on the
31st December 1938 and crimes committed by them :—
Murder
..
.. ..
Culpable homicide .. ..
Hurt and grievous hurt .. ..
Attempt at murder and suicide ..
House-breaking and theft .. ..
Other petty offences .. .. ..
Rape
..
..
..
Mischief by fire .. ..
Exposure and abandonment of a child ..
Total ..
Male.
251
60
83
12
17
19
3
13
..
458
Female.
25
4
2
4
2
2
..
1
2
42
Total.
276
64
85
16
19
21
3
14
2
500
Psychological treatment of prisoners—an important
plank in the scheme of prison reforms in Bihar.—The need
for individualisation in the treatment of prisoners by meting
out punishment according to individual capacity and require-
ment is advocated by Dr. P. K. Sen, M.A., who had been
deputed by the Government of Bihar to visit various jails
in Bihar and study the present system of Jail administration
and suggest a scheme of reforms. Dr. Sen accompanied by
Mr. K. B. Sahay, Parliamentary Secretary to the Government
of Bihar, visited our hospital also and discussed with me fully
the psychological treatment of insane criminals and criminal
insanes of which we have a large population. As a result
of modern developments in Psychiatric Medicine, of
the application of Psychological methods to behaviour
difficulties, many minds in later years have turned towards
7
the Psychological treatment as an alternative, or comple-
mentary, to a sentence of imprisonment. In this connection
it should be remembered that criminals are sent to
prison as a punishment and not to be punished, that is
to say, the sentence itself is a punishment. The aim of the
modern prison administrator is not to add to the severity of the
sentence but to effect as far as possible during the time at his
disposal, the modifications of character by training and
treatment, the faulty personalities in his charge by
psychological methods. Today it is generally recognised that
conduct, which was formerly attributed to evil intentions
and spiritual wickedness, is often due to pathological causes.
Besides the usual cases of mental defectiveness and psychosis,
the jail population of India is practically teeming with the
following groups of offenders :—
(1) Sub-normal group.
(2) Mentally inefficient group.
(3) Constitutional psychic inferiors.
(4) Unstable adolescents.
(5) Temperamentally unstable adults.
The above groups though definitely uncertifiable yet often
exhibit anti-social behaviour and constantly come into conflict
with law. Their anti-social behaviours are attributable to
a faulty reaction to mental conflicts or repressions or abnormal
emotional and instinctive reactions or to innate emotional trends
and character dispositions which result from the inter-reactions
of their physical and psychological personalities which render
them inadequate for social requirements. No reliable statistics
are available as to the number of such individuals in our Indian
Jails but if such figures were available they would indeed be
very large. It will become evident that Psychotherapy is
unnecessary in the treatment of normal offenders. Its applica-
tion is also unsuitable in cases of mental defectiveness and in
the Psychoses, but it is most likely to benefit the above stated
groups of law breakers.
20. Statement no. IV—shows the religion, sex and
residence of the patients admitted during the year under report
and is self-explanatory.
21. Statement no. V—shows the ages of the patients
admitted during the year. As in the past, it will be noticed
that the largest number of patients admitted during the year
was between the ages 20 and 40.
22. Statement no. VI—shows the forms of mental disorders
of those admitted during the year and is self-explanatory.
8
23. Statement no. VII—shows the probable causes of
insanity in those admitted during the year.
24. Paying patients.—The following number of paying
patients were treated during the year under report as compared
with those of the two previous years :—
Year.
1938
..
..
1937
..
..
1936
..
..
Male.
70
78
70
Female.
30
24
26
Total.
100
102
96
As in the previous years, a large number of applications
for admission of paying patients had again to be refused during
the year under review for want of proper accommodation.
25. Injuries and suicide.—During the year under review
two serious cases of accidental injuries occurred—one died due
to the result of such injuries and the other recovered after
adequate treatment. A few cases of minor injuries and
accidents also took place.
I am happy to be able to record that there was no case of
suicide during the period under report although many serious
attempts were made by the potential suicides of this hospital
numbering about 80.
26. Absconding.—There was no case of escape during the
year under report although a considerable amount of freedom
was afforded to the patients.
27. Autopsy.—Post-mortem examinations were held on 24
cases during the the year under review.
28. Conservancy and sanitation.—The general sanitation of
the whole area of the hospital as well as that of the staff lines
was satisfactory throughout the period under report.
29. Methods and treatment of insanes.—(i) Occupational
Therapy.—Occupational Therapy Departments of the hospital
were in full swing as in the past and an average employment of
80 per cent was maintained throughout the year under review.
Occupation is the sheet anchor of our treatment and every
effort is made to provide suitable occupation to our patients
according to individual capacity and requirement.
At the Local Industrial Exhibition during 1938 the hospital
won the following first class certificates for the Occupational
Therapy Department :—
(1) Furniture.
(2) Needle work.
(3) Lace work.
As usual Rs. 600 was spent in distributing rewards to
hardworking patients over and above the daily gifts of cigarettes,
tobacco and other comforts.
(2) Hydrotherapy.—Hydrotherapy has proved of consider-
able value in mental diseases specially in highly excited and
insomnic cases where drug and other known treatment for such
conditions have failed. For reducing extreme excitement, the
prolonged bath treatment is very effective. The bath tubs with
continuous automatic flow of water as used in the West are
very expensive and probably unsuitable for our work in India,
so I had to invent a cheap bath tub for this treatment more or
less on the same style as those used in the West with modi-
fications suiting the Eastern environment. As our bath tubs
have proved very satisfactory, easy to manipulate and cost little,
they were copied by some hospitals, jails and private practitioners
in India who were supplied free of charge with the plans of
our tubs on request.
One hundred sixty male and 29 female patients were given
this treatment during the year under report with gratifying
results. The average hours of immersion per patient were
253.92 hours.
(3) Drugs.—(i) Cardiazol.-—The following table shows the
number of patients treated with this drug during the year under
report and the results thereof :—
No. of cases treated.
31
Recovered.
10
Improved.
7
Stationary.
14
There can be no question that Cardiazol therapy offers
a highly successful adjunct to the Schizophrenic patients far
superior to any other treatment with the possible exception of
Insulin Therapy. It is too early as yet to make any positive
statement as to the permanence of the remissions or curative
effect of the treatment. Many cases that show early improve-
ment have relapsed after a time to their former state. However,
Cardiazol has considerably changed the bleak outlook of Schizo-
phrenia. Many patients who might have been chronic insti-
tutional cases, can now at least be so improved as to return
home and take part in their former activities. Early cases give
high remission rate and thus enable us to adopt a more
optimistic view towards this fell disease. I have introduced
Cardiazel therapy in the hospital since my return from Budapest
in1936 where I learnt the technique of this treatment from
my friend Dr. Ladislaus v. Meduna of Budapest, originator
of Cardiazol Therapy. Over 2,000 cardiazol shocks had been
10
given to the patients without any fatal or serious injury and
we have so far achieved 40 per cent remission by this useful
therapy. Only one patient so far has been returned to us as
a relapsed case out of the many who returned home to take up
their former activities. During the year under report we have
extended the scope of our investigations with the merits of
Cardiazol Therapy by administering it to patients other than
Schizophrenics, such as Manic Depressive Psychoses, Paranoid
reactions type, Psycho-neurotics, Ganja Insanity, etc. The
results of our experiments will be published in our next annual
report.
(ii) Treatment of Manic Conditions by Atropine.—Dr.
K. Leonhard of Bavaria treated many patients with Atropine
and his results were very encouraging. During the year under
report we selected 12 patients (6 males and 6 females) for this
treatment and Atropine solution 1—1000 strength was given in
15 m. m. doses 3 times a day for a period of over 3 months
without any untoward effects. Our patients did not get much
benefit by this treatment and our results were disappointing.
(iii) Anti-rabic vaccine in the treatment of Epilepsy.—
Dr. Nikitine of St. Petersburg reported a case of an epileptic
who had been bitten by a dog suspected of having rabies
and who became entirely free of epileptic fits following a short
course of Anti-rabic treatment. Dr. Nikitine after his
experience treated many epileptic patients with anti-rabic
vaccine and claims to have achieved good results. In view of
the reports of the cessation of epileptic fits by anti-rabic vaccine,
we decided to adopt this form of therapy to our epileptic
patients.
Ten confirmed epileptics (eight males and two
females) were selected for this experiment. We used anti-rabic
vaccine prepared by the Pasteur Institute, Patna, Bihar. The
full course of anti-rabic treatment with vaccine was given to
each patient but the results were not encouraging. There was
no critical change in the frequency or severity or cessation of
fits as a result of this treatment. Drs. Finkleman, Arieff and
Schilla of Chicago have recently published an article on this
treatment in the American Journal of Psychiatry and their
results are also reported to be very disappointing.
(iv) Use of Paraldehyde per rectum in acute maniacal condi-
tions.—This treatment was fully reported by me in our last Annual
Report. During the year under review we treated seven cases
(five males and two females) who have hitherto failed to respond
to any known treatment of acute maniacal conditions. The
results were extremely encouraging. Five patients improved
11
very much within a short period of the treatment and still
maintaining the improvement and the remaining two had a
temporary improvement for a period of two months. This
treatment is worth a trial in highly maniacal cases which have
ceased to respond to ordinary methods of treatment for these
conditions. Patients require to be thoroughly watched during
the treatment as there is a risk of respiratory failure due to
perhaps overdosage or idiosyncrasy of the drug. We nearly lost
one of our patients during this treatment. The best antidote in
such emergency is strychnine in doses as high as one-tenth grain
hypodermically and prolonged artificial respiration. The
paraldehyde dose should be one dramme per stone of patient's
total body weight and our experience has taught us to give
always two drammes less than the total dose of the body weight.
(v) (a) Sulfosin Therapy.—We use this therapy very
extensively in the treatment of mental diseases. During the
year under report 83 patients were treated and the results were
as follows :—
Recovered.
16
Improved.
24
Stationary.
43
(b) Sulfosin in skin diseases.—Similarly 43 cases of skin
diseases were treated with Sulphur injections and all of them
were cured. The typos of skin diseases treated were as
follows :—
Scabies.
41
Psoriasis.
1
Ring-worm.
1
(4) Physiotherapy.—The following number of specimens
were examined in the Hospital Laboratory during the
year under review :—
Blood .. .. .. .. ..
Urine
..
..
..
..
..
Stool .. .. .. .. ..
Sputum .. .. .. .. ..
Other examinations .. .. ..
848
1,340
1,262
147
86
Besides, 240 specimens of blood and 28 specimens of
Cerebro Spinal Fluid were sent for Wassermann Reaction Test
and other tests in the Pathological Department of the Prince of
Wales Medical College, Patna, of which 25 of the former and
12 of the latter were positive and those patients were given
12
proper antisyphilitic treatment. Moreover, 15 specimens of stool
for culture for Typhoid group from old carriers and one specimen
of blood for Widal Test were also sent for examination.
(5) Dentistry.—2,021 patients received dental treatment
during the year under report.
(6) Operations.—One major and 185 minor operations
were performed during the year under report.
(7) Nasal Feeding.—2,771 nasal feeds were given during
the year under report, to these patients who persistently
refused to eat or drink. One patient is on nasal feed for the
last six years and he looks a picture of health.
In my experience, I can recall six such patients who were
on nasal feeding for years without any detriment to their
physical health. The general belief is that nasal feeding is
detrimental to general health but the experience proves the
contrary ; in fact, I have seen patients thriving better on nasal
feeding than on forced or coaxed spoon feeding.
(8) Diversional Therapy (Games and Amusements) (a) Foot
bad.—16 football matches of the local league, cup and shield
competitions were played by the Hospital team during the year
under report of which won 4, lost 9 and drew 3.
(b) Hockey.—9 Hockey matches were also played of which
won 5, lost 3 and drew 1.
Besides, the patients play daily tennis, badminton, basket
ball, coits and various other outdoor games.
Every evening except on Cinema nights nearly 200 patients
assemble daily in the Amusement Hall and amuse themselves
with various indoor games and music. Those who are fond of
reading, read daily papers and magazines.
(c) Special entertainments. —The following is the list of
special entertainments held in the Hospital during the year
under report.
The Annual Hospital Sports.
Magic performance by Professor the Great G. A. Das of
South Africa.
5 Theatrical performances by the Hospital Staff.
1 Theatrical performance by the Ranchi Dramatic Club.
2 Theatrical Performances by the students of the Patna
Medical College.
Religious lectures by Swami Swatantrananda.
Magic performance by Professor Shifte Hossain.
13
Magic performance by Professor S. Bose.
(d) Cinema.—38 Cinema shows were given during the year
under report.
I am happy to be able to record here that the Government
have been pleased to sanction the purchase of a Talkie Machine
at a cost of Rs. 5,500 which will shortly be installed in the Hos-
pital Theatre.
(e) The Hospital Band entertained the patients six times
a week with music throughout the year under report.
(f) Paroles and Motor Drives.—As in the past many
patients of both sexes were granted local parole with or
without attendants and batches of patients were sent out for
motor drives daily round about Ranchi and those dependable
were allowed to shop at Ranchi.
(g) Absence on trial.—During the year under report two
patients were taken out to their homes by their relatives on two
months' trial, under section 20, part V of the Bihar and Orissa
Indian Lunacy Act Manual, 1934. Out of them one had to be
brought back but the other behaved well during the period of
his trial and was finally discharged at the request of his
relatives.
(h) Annual Picnics.—In the month of March 250 male and
100 female patients were taken to a neighbouring village for a
whole day picnic. As usual they were treated with a sumptuous
lunch and tea. The patients kept themselves occupied and
amused with various indoor and outdoor games. The Hospital
Band also entertained them and they thoroughly enjoyed the
picnic.
A technicoloured cinema picture of the picnic.—I take
this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to
my friends Mr. and Mrs. R. S. Colah of Calcutta who very
kindly took the cinema picture of the picnic in two reels and
sent it to England to be developed at their expense. The films
have now been presented to the Hospital by Mr. and Mrs. Colah.
The film which is an excellent work of art will shortly be shown
to the patients who, I am sure, will greatly be amused and intri-
gued to see themselves acting on the screen in a technicoloured
picture.
14
(9) Religious Therapy.—As in the past Divine Services for
the Christians, Kirtans and Bhajans for the Hindus and
Milad Shareef for the Muslims including religious discourses
and songs were held regularly throughout the year under
report. Besides, the patients were allowed to fast on
religious grounds. During the Durga Puja festivals batches
of patients were sent out to visit the local celebrations
held outside the Hospital and the Id prayers were held
in the Hospital grounds. I express my best thanks to the
Pandit and Maulavi Saheb for giving religious therapy to my
patients on a very nominal honorarium and to all the Christian
Padris for giving similar services without any remuneration.
30. Feasts.—Special feasts were held on the occasion of
religious festivals, such as Pujas, Holi, Id and Christmas.
31. Libraries.—(1) Patients.—Several new books were pur-
chased and added to the patients' library during the year under
report.
The following newspapers and monthly magazines were
continued to be supplied to the Hospital free of cost and my best
thanks are due to their respective proprietors.
1. Statesman.
2. Amrita Bazar Patrika.
3. Advance.
4. Star of India.
5. Searchlight.
6. Basumati.
7. Biswamitra.
8. Sentinel.
9. Illustrated Times of India.
10. Orient Illustrated Weekly.
11. Probasi.
12. Bharatbarsha.
(2) Medical.—The Medical Library was also replenished by
a few new books and the usual supply of medical and mental
journals were continued.
Both the patients and the staff made a great use of their
respective libraries.
16
32. Hospital gardens.—The average number of patients
employed daily in the Hospital Flower and Horticultural Gardens
during the year under report was 500. Both gardens are run
entirely with the patients' labour. The Hospital is entirely self-
supporting in respect of its vegetable supply. During 1938
more land was laid out for cultivating sugarcane, and the
Hospital did not purchase any gur and greatly reduced its
purchase of white sugar as the garden supplied its demand.
Two new poultry houses were added to the Poultry Farm during
1938 and the Farm has now made considerable progress and
supplied 6,769 eggs and 47 fowls to the patients during the year
under report. The Garden Overseer and the garden staff deserve
great credit for extending and developing this very useful and
economic branch of the garden therapy of the Hospital.
At the local Agricultural Exhibition in 1938 the hospital
secured First Class Certificates for the following (1) Cabbages,
(2) Turnips, (3) Beet root, (4) Brinjals, (5) Peas, (6) Papayas,
(7) Gur, (8) S. B. Sugar, (9) Sugarcane. The hospital also
secured a special certificate for fruits.
The total value of the produce from the garden and
Poultry Farm during 1938 was as follows :—
Vegetables, fruits, etc. .. .. ..
Fodder
..
..
..
..
Total ..
Vegetables, etc., sold to the staff and public
Total ..
Rs.
20,449
504
20,953
1,369
22,323
a.
4
10
14
4
2
p.
0
0
0
9
9
Appended below is a table showing the total garden produce
during the year 1938.
Vegetables, etc.
Pumpkins .. .. ..
Cabbages .. .. ..
Couliflowers .. .. ..
Radishes .. .. ..
Turnips .. .. ..
Arums .. .. ..
Peas .. .. ..
Mds.
912
373
493
283
322
140
16
sr.
18
30
12
2
12
33
26
ch.
14
10
6
4
2
12
4
16
Brinjal .. .. ..
Sag .. .. ..
Carrots .. .. ..
Bottle Gourds ..
..
Kohl Robies .. ..
Sweet Potatoes .. .. ..
Tomatoes
..
..
..
Beet Root .. .. ..
Luffas
..
..
..
Pumpkin Flowers .. ..
Cucumbers .. ..
Bitter Gourds .. ..
Lady's Finger .. ..
Peans .. .. ..
Snake Gourds .. ..
Ash Gourds .. ..
Lettuces .. ..
Green Papayas .. ..
Green Plantains .. ..
Green Mangoes .. ..
Potatoes .. ..
Spices.
Onions .. .. ..
Garlic .. .. ..
Chillies .. .. ..
Cereals.
Arwa Fine Rice .. ..
Usna Coarse Rice .. ..
Canes and Gur.
Sugarcane .. ..
Gur .. ..
Fruits. .. ..
Guavas .. ..
Oranges .. ..
Ripe Plantains .. ..
Lemons .. ..
Mds.
192
252
199
441
121
241
76
31
127
44
59
13
203
54
15
93
17
19
11
1
64
88
7
1
19
46
93
178
21,612
5,509
3,014
10,018
sr.
15
11
0
26
2
23
26
14
26
36
3
20
28
39
24
5
23
11
18
26
39
17
2
8
19
23
6
37
Nos.
„
„
„
ch.
2
8
4
10
8
12
12
0
12
0
4
4
14
0
0
2
14
0
6
0
8
4¾
0
0
13
0
8
8
17
Sweet Limes .. .. ..
Pomeloes .. .. ..
Ripe Mangoes .. .. ..
Bail Fruits .. .. ..
Rose Apples .. .. ..
Lichies
..
..
..
Custard Apples .. .. ..
Chaltas
..
..
..
Ripe Papayas .. ..
Phalsas .. .. ..
Peaches
..
..
..
Musk Melons .. .. ..
Water Melons .. .. ..
Cucumbers .. .. ..
Maize Cobs .. .. ..
Poultry.
Eggs
..
..
..
Fowls
..
..
..
Fodder.
Straw
..
..
..
Cabbage Leaves
..
..
Pea Stalk .. .. ..
Grass
..
..
..
2,489 Nos.
1,682 „
8,301 „
82 „
637 „
616 „
102 „
2 „
Mds.
132
0
2
328
186
1533
3742
sr.
22
31
36
ch.
0
8
8
Nos.
Nos.
Nos.
„
6769
47
„
„
Mds.
120
364
61
1,020
sr.
16
0
14
27
ch.
0
0
0
0
33. Finance.—(1) Receipts—The receipts from all sources
amounted to Rs. 25,459-4-0 in 1938 as compared with
Rs. 27,422-9-4 in 1937 and Rs. 27,390-13-3 in 1936.
The following table shows the total amount of realisation
from paying patients and also the miscellaneous receipts, which
include the sale proceeds of garden vegetables and other articles
manufactured by patients in the Occupational Therapy Depart-
ments :—
Heads
Receipts from pay-
ing patients.
Miscellaneous
1938.
Rs.
23,357
2,101
a.
6
13
p.
9
3
1937.
Rs.
25,101
2,320
a.
11
14
p.
1
3
1936.
Rs.
25,253
2,136
a.
14
14
p.
6
9
18
(2) Expenditure.—The total expenditure exclusive of
amounts received from paying patients and miscellaneous receipts
was Rs. 4,63,509-2-1 in 1938 as compared with Rs. 4,83,678-5-4
in 1937 and Rs. 4,72,664-3-0 in 1936.
34. Annual average cost per patient.—The following table
will show the annual average cost per patient during the year
under report and two previous years:—
Years.
1938 ..
1937 ..
1936 ..
Annual cost per head
including P. W. D.
charges.
Rs.
344
365
361
a.
10
9
6
p
4
9
6
Annual cost per head
excluding P. W. D.
charges.
Rs.
312
331
337
a.
6
0
5
p.
2
4
4
The decrease in the cost per head in 1938 is mainly due to
cheaper contract rates for dietary articles and to articles of
clothing and bedding being supplied by the Jails after December
1938. The increase in 1937 as compared to 1936 was due
to increase in the number of patients as a result of increased
accommodation in Male Section.
35. Staff.—Conduct of the staff. —All the departments of
the hospital was admirably and successfully administered by their
respective heads and I express my gratitude to the staff as a whole
for their loyalty and whole-hearted co-operation in the manage-
ment of the Hospital throughout the year under review. I also
express my indebtedness to both the Assistant Superintendents
for ably assisting me in the administration of the Hospital.
36. Managing Committee.—As usual two half-yearly meet-
ings of the Managing Committee were held during the year
under report.
The members of the Managing Committee were the same
as reported previously except Mr. Shah Abdur Rouf, M.L.A., of
Nawabganj, Rangpur, who was appointed in place of Khan
Bahadur Hafizar Rahman Chaudhury, deceased.
I take this opportunity to thank the Chairman and the
members of the Managing Committee for the extreme kindness,
guidance and consideration they have shown to me during the
period under review.