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to asylums by judicial officers, and he promised to submit a statement of the
crimes with which criminal lunatics committed to lunatic asylums were charged.
A very elaborate and interesting table has been submitted with the present
report, showing the offences with which the criminal lunatics, who were
admitted into the asylum between 1871 and 1880, were charged. The returns
do not show any marked increase in the number of lunatics committed for any
specific offence, though the total admissions and re-admissions increased gradually
between 1877 and 1880. In the past year, however, there was a slight decrease.
The Lieutenant-Governor agrees with the Surgeon-General in considering that
the return does not show that the restrictive orders of Government have had
any effect on petty crime. On the other hand the return of the criminal
lunatics in all the asylums shows again a slight increase in the number remain-
ing in confinement at the end of the year, and supports the view taken by the
Lieutenant-Governor in the previous year, that the progressive increase in the
number of criminal lunatics was actual and had not yet reached the limit, and
that it was not merely an apparent increase, caused by the action of Magistrates
in sending to asylums as lunatics criminals who were at once sent back to take
their trial.
5. The total number of persons treated for insanity during the past year
was 1,094 as compared with 1,104 in 1880, and 1,187 in the preceding year.
The total number of recoveries was 93 against 73 in 1880, and the number of cases
in which there was an improvement was 41 against 34 in the preceding year.
The percentage of recoveries on the total number treated for the different
kinds of insanity was as follows:—
Acute mania
...
Chronic ditto ...
Melancholia ...
Acute dementia ...
Chronic ditto ...
1879.
18.82
5.22
3.96
1.75
1.43
1880.
15.42
3.33
2.46
6.34
3.06
1881.
17.37
8.66
1.28
5.12
1.18
The Surgeon-General in his report for 1880 pointed out that these figures
were not reliable, and it was remarked in the Resolution on that report that
" differences of nomenclature and the combination of all cases, new and old, in
one total, render the figures quite unreliable for scientific purposes. It would
be more satisfactory to know the result of new cases only under the different
heads in each asylum separately." These results are not shown separately
in the present report, but it seems very doubtful if, had they been given, the
results would have been more trustworthy or valuable. Dr. Payne gives
examples of the difference in nomenclature adopted in the different asylums,
and concludes by remarking " differences of nomenclature arise from many
causes. The foregoing paragraph affords some evidence of idiosyncrasy with
reference to cases on admission, and, subsequently to admission, cases are vari-
ously treated as to alteration of names. This results in confusion, which would
probably be increased if its prevention were attempted. " The Lieutenant-
Governor is disposed to accept the Surgeon-General's view, and to
consider that accurate figures for each class of mental derangement in the
different asylums, which would bear comparison, are not obtainable. It is,
however, satisfactory to observe that of whatever kind the cases were,
the number of recoveries was higher in 1881 than in 1880, though the number
of cases treated was lower. The largest number of cases of insanity amongst
those admitted, of which the cause is given, were brought about by the use of
intoxicating liquor or drugs. Of 213 cases admitted during the year, the cause
of insanity is given in 111, and of these, 66 are said to have been due to ganja,
3 to bhang and charas, 13 to spirits, and 2 to opium. Although this accounts
for 84 out of 111 cases, the Surgeon-General considers that the number
of cases due to intoxicating agents is understated. He remarks: " Cases of
intoxication are not uncommonly admitted with the title of hereditary insanity,
and grief is alleged as the cause of many which are really due to the method
employed to solace it. Of the total number treated in the asylum during the
year, viz 1,094, no less than 328 had been ascribed to one or other form of
intoxication. While, on the one hand, it is necessary to point out that this
number is probably far below the truth, it should, on the other hand, be