MUNICIPAL
DEPARTMENT.
MEDICAL.
CALCUTTA, THE 13TH JULY 1886.
RESOLUTION.
READ—
The Report on the Lunatic Asylums in Bengal for 1885.
Read again—
The Report for 1884, and the Resolution recorded upon it.
In Bengal there are asylums for the reception of lunatics at Bhowanipore
and Dullunda in the suburbs of Calcutta, and at Dacca, Patna, Berhampore, and
Cuttack.
2. On 1st January 1885 the total number of persons in the asylums was
919. During the year 214 persons were admitted and 18 were readmitted;
93 were discharged cured, 26 were made over to the care of friends, 4 are
reported to have been discharged " otherwise," and 73 died. There thus remained
955 persons at the close of the year. The daily average population was 939.62
against 920.96 in 1884. The percentage of recoveries calculated on the mean
daily population was 9.89 against 9.77 in 1884.
3. On the 1st January 1885 there were in the asylums 363 criminal
lunatics. During the year there were 93 new admissions and 11 readmissions.
Of the new admissions, 27 were charged with " murder," 3 with " attempt to
murder," 1 with " culpable homicide," 6 with " grievous hurt," 2 with " hurt,"
7 with " attempt to commit suicide," 18 with " theft," 5 with "trespass," 3
with " arson," 5 with " house-breaking," 2 with " mischief," 1 with " trespassing
on the railway," 1 with " culpable homicide not amounting to murder," 1
with "theft and voluntarily causing hurt," 1 with "robbery," 2 with
"lurking house-trespass," 1 with "theft and escape," I with "loitering,"
5 with " house-trespass or house-breaking," and 1 with " unnatural offence."
During the year 50 persons were discharged and transferred, &c, 30 died, and
387 remained at the close of the year.
4. As usual, much difficulty was experienced in classifying accurately the
different forms of insanity. This is perhaps not very material. During the
year 80 patients were returned under the head of " acute mania," 80 under
"chronic mania," 11 under "melancholia," 17 under "acute dementia," 26
under " chronic dementia," 1 under " idiotcy," 2 under " imbecility," and 15
under " not insane." Of the causes of insanity, the chief were, as usual, the
excessive use of ganja and intemperance. Fever is said to have led to 7 cases
of insanity, 9 cases are attributed to hereditary predisposition, and 5 to
epilepsy.
5. The health of the asylums was generally good. The following table
shows the prevalence of the principal diseases in the year under report:—
Anæmia and debility
...
...
Diarrhœa
...
...
...
...
Dropsy
...
...
...
...
...
Dysentery
...
...
...
...
Fever
...
...
...
...
Pneumonia
...
...
...
...
Phthisis ... ... ... ... ...
Cholera
...
...
...
...
...
Dullunda.
1884.
13
9
4
11
3
1
1
......
1885.
8
8
2
11
1
2
1
......
Dacca.
1884.
14
18
3
8
72
4
9 3
1885.
15
28
......
9
59
......
2
......
Patna.
1884.
17
9
1
5
17
......
19
......
1885.
19
5
4
7
39
......
8
......
Cuttack.
1884.
2
......
......
2
11
......
2
......
1885.
2
1
......
5
5
......
1
......
Berhampore.
1884.
4
6
1
......
13
......
3
......
1885.
7
6
......
3
25
......
4
2
Total.
1884.
50
42
9
26
116
5
34
8
1885.
51
47
6
35
129
9
16
2
The above figures show a considerable decrease in cases of anæmia and
debility in Dullunda. Diarrhœa increased in Dacca; dysentery increased to