( 4 )
both at Patna (20 cases) and Berhampore (19 cases) in 1911. The Superin-
tendents concerned have not commented on it. Of the melancholia cases
19 recovered in 1909, 16 in 1910 and 12 in 1911.
Dementia gives 7, 9 and 7 admissions, respectively, in 1909, 1910 and 1911,
and 1 of this number is said to have recovered in 1909 and 1 also in 1911.
I am extremely doubtful whether any case of genuine dementia ever can be
said to be completely cured, though the progress of the disease may be arrested.
There were 5 admissions at Berhampore and 1 at Patna in 1911 under the head
" Declared to have recovered or not yet diagnosed"
General paralysis of the insane in my experience is very rarely seen in
India, and the present statistics appear to bear this out, as it is reported
that there were only 2 admissions in the triennium under review, viz., 1 at
Berhampore in 1909 and 1 at Patna in 1910.
Delusional insanity (now classed under the heading paranoia) was res-
ponsible for 8 admissions in 1909, 10 in 1910 and 8 in 1911, the number of
recoveries being 1, 3 and 1, respectively.
The form in which these particulars are presented has just been revised
in accordance with the new Nomenclature of Diseases. The revised form
will be adopted in all future reports.
Statement VII.
11. Alleged causes of insanity.—Physical causes were responsible for most
of the admissions into the asylums, viz , 99 in
1909, 94 in 1910 and 97 in 1911, i.e., 50.51, 49.47
and 52.15 per cent., respectively.
Moral causes are alleged in the cases of 13 insanes in 1909, 14 in 1910
and 15 in 1911, or 6.63, 7.37 and 8.06 per cent., respectively.
The insane condition was attributed to hereditary influences in 8 cases
in 1909, 10 in 1910 and 6 in 1911. If close enquiry into the antecedents of
each case could be pursued, it would probably be found that hereditary
influences were responsible in a much larger number of instances than would
appear from the figures given. The difficulty of getting accurate information
on these and other ætiological factors is very noticeable in India.
Intoxicants were said to be responsible for 58 cases in 1909, 45 in 1910
and 71 in 1911.
Abuse of ganja was alleged as the cause of insanity in 42 cases in 1909,
35 in 1910 and 45 in 1911. The largest number of admissions from this cause
took place at Berhampore, viz., 32 in 1909, 27 in 1910 and 37 in 1911. In
all these cases due enquiries were made by the Superintendents before this
cause was accepted.
In 11 cases the mental aberration was attributed to intemperance in drink
in 1909, 4 in 1910 and 22 in 1911. The admissions for 1911 were distributed
as follows:—1 at Bhowanipur, 5 at Patna and 16 at Berhampore, against 2,
nil and 2, respectively, in 1910. There was a large increase at Berhampore
in 1911—whether it was accidental or not, remains to be seen. I have
sometimes thought that there may be a tendency in the case of alcohol and
ganja to reverse the proper sequence of events. Is it the stimulant (or narcotic)
which is always wholly responsible for the insanity ? Or is not a person with an
unstable brain (due to an insane inheritance) more likely to contract bad habits in
the first place, and also more likely to persist in these habits when once formed ?
Of the total number admitted into the asylums the percentage of cases whose
causes were known was 57.14 in 1909, 56.84 in 1910 and 60.22 in 1911;
while in 42.86, 43.16 and 39.78 per cent. of the cases, respectively, the causes
were not known. The result for 1911 is satisfactory, and shows that greater
attention was paid by the officers concerned to ascertain the causes of lunacy
as far as possible.
12. Injurin 1910 and ies and accidents.—Most of these were of a trivial nature and
need no comment.
In 1911 a violent excitable lunatic committed suicide in the Patna Asylum
by hanging. A judicial enquiry was held, and the matter was duly reported to
Government. It was found that the asylum staff were not in any way to blame.
13. Escapes.—There were 2 escapes in 1909, 1 in 1910 and 3 in 1911.
Those who escaped in 1909 were recaptured. The escapes in 1910 and 1911
occurred at Patna. The 3 lunatics (criminals) who escaped in 1911 were also
recaptured and brought back to the asylum. These occurrences showed laxity