LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN BENGAL.
25
subjects were emaciated and worn-out persons, in a very anæmic state of health,
and who were, besides, suffering from enlargement of the spleen and liver.
Mortality.
7. Four lunatics died during the year, viz. two males and two females ;
one man and one woman belonging to the non-criminal, and one man and one
woman to the criminal. The number of lunatics who died last year also amounted
to four, the deaths were caused by general dropsy and dysentery, two men from
t he former complaint, and two women from the latter.
Criminal lunatics.
8. On the 1st January 1877 there remained in the asylum 10 men and
one woman of this class : one man was discharged, and one man and one woman
died, leaving a total of eight men on the 31st December 1877. "The man
who was discharged cured has been tried for murder, and was acquitted on the
ground that he was insane at the time the act was committed. He was re-ad-
mitted into the asylum on the 7th August 1872, on his return from Rungpore
after his trial and acquittal. He was perfectly sane at the time of his
re-admission, and remained so without any interruption up to the 19th of
October 1877, on which date he was released and sent to the Magistrate of
Rungpore under orders of Government. He was a well-conducted and hard-
working man, who assisted in cooking for the inmates of the asylum. He
became, however, very ill during the last 12 months of his confinement in
the asylum ; and as there was every probability of his dying if kept longer in
confinement, and as he had shown no indication whatever of insanity for nearly
five years, the visitors strongly recommended his release, in order to give him
a chance of recovering from his then feeble state of health. The period of
his detention in the asylum since his re-admission was five years two months and
12 days. Of the two inmates of this class who died during the year, the man had
been tried for culpable homicide also at Rungpore, and acquitted on the ground
that he was insane at the time he committed the act. He was admitted into
the ayslum on the 12th February 1872 quite sane, and he died on the 18th
May of the year under report; the period, therefore, of his detention in the
asylum was five years three months and seven days. The woman, who was deaf
and dumb, has been charged with attempting to commit suicide by cutting her
throat, but was found to be of unsound mind and incapable of making a defence.
She was admitted into the asylum on the 7th June 1870 and died on the 7th of
February 1877. She remained insane throughout the six years and eight months
she was in the asylum, and was therefore never tried."
Finances.
9. Regarding the financial position of the institution, Mr. Shircore writes as
follows : " Statement No. X shows the expenditure of the year. It will be seen
that the total amount expended on account of the asylum during the year was
Rs. 3,844-7-6, against Rs. 4,200-3-3 in 1876, showing a decrease of Rs. 355-11-9.
The annual average cost per head was Rs. 85-15-9, against Rs. 78-6-3 in 1876.
This difference is not owing to any actual increased expenditure, but chiefly to
the decrease in the number of the inmates. Thus, under the head of establish-
ment alone, there is a difference of Rs. 4-6-9 from this cause.
" The item in which there has really been an increased outlay is that
of diet, the average cost of which per head being Rs. 37-11-9, against Rs. 33-8-2
in 1876. The cause of this increase has been explained in my report on the
Berhampore Asylum, namely, the high prices of almost every article of food
that prevailed throughout the year. With regard to this asylum there was
another circumstance which helped to augment the cost under this head. A
reference to Table No. VIII will show that among its immates there were
five cases of dropsy under treatment. The efficacy of the milk treatment in
such cases is well known, and I had to keep some of these patients on milk
diet for the greater part of the year. Among them there is one man who to
this time appears and remains quite well as long as he is allowed a large
quantity of milk daily, but as soon as the milk is stopped the dropsical symp-
toms re-appear in him in a few days."
" On the other hand, there is a considerable decrease in the item of
clothing, the figures under which head being Re. 1-14-5, against Rs. 3-12-5
in 1876."
" The item of contingencies shows an increase of 13 annas 10 pie per head,
but this increase was not actual. In 1876 the cost of oil for lamps was by an
error included in the charges for diet. This has been rectified in the returns
d