( 3 )
figures being 26 in 1909, 16 in 1910 and 31 in 1911. This increase in 1911
may have been in some measure due to the admission into the asylum of
19 insanes already suffering from phthisis. Of these 3 died a few months after
admission. The diagnosis was confirmed microscopically as well as by
physical examination, and the cases were treated as far as possible by
isolation and the open-air method, special attention also being paid to their
diet. At Patna 5 cases of tubercular phthisis were treated in 1911 against
1 in 1910. The Superintendent states that no special reasons can be given
for this increase. The returns show that 16 cases were admitted to the
asylum in bad health in 1911.
Pneumonia gave 9 admissions in 1909, 11 in 1910 and 6 in 1911. It is
satisfactory that at Patna the number of such cases was less by 5 in 1911.
There were altogether 6 deaths from this disease in 1909, 8 in 1910 and 5 in
1911.
For diar hœa 19 were admitted in l909, 21 in 1910 and 39 in 1911.
The increase in 1911 does not need special comment. It is a well-known
habit of some lunatics to eat not only mud, but also all kinds of garbage,
vegetable, refuse and other kinds of filth, and it is rather difficult to prevent
this. There was however only 1 death from bowel complaint at Patna in 1910.
Dysentery was responsible for 24 admissions in 1909, 34 in 1910 and 22
in 1911, and 5, 8 and 4 deaths, respectively. It is satisfactory to note that
there were considerably less cases at Berhampore in 1911 than in the previous
year, the numbers being 5 and 19, respectively.
Three deaths at Berhampore in 1911 resulted from septicœmia. These
cases were admitted to the asylum hospital with "unhealthy ulcers and
wounds" and later on developed septicœmia. There were also 6 deaths in this
asylum from epilepsy in 1911 against only 1 in 1910. There were 3 cases of
suspected leprosy during the year: all were kept isolated.
The number of deaths in the Bengal asylums for 1911 includes 1 case
of suicide by hanging. If this death be excluded, the rate of mortality will
be 7.31 per cent. Contrasting this rate with the rate of mortality in other
provinces in 1911, we obtain the following figures :—
Bengal
...
...
...
...
Burma ... ... ... ...
Eastern Bengal and Assam ... ... ...
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh ... ...
Madras
...
...
...
...
Punjab ... ... ... ...
Bombay ... ... ... ...
Central Provinces ... ... ...
Per cent.
7.31
11.43
10.5
9.96
9.19
9.13
8.7
5.56
Statement II.
8. Criminal Lunatics,—The total number admitted was 75 in 1909, 70 in
1910 and 66 in 1911, an average of 70 against 90
in the previous triennium.
Under the existing rules regarding the disposal of recovered criminal
lunatics, 7 were discharged from Berhampore in 1911. The Superintendent
reports that several harmless lunatics whose crimes were of a trivial nature
could have been discharged, but no relatives could be found to take charge of
them.
Statements III, IV and V .
9. The statistics furnished in. Statements III,
IV and V do not present any unusual variations
requiring notice.
Statement VI.
10. Types of Insanity.—As usual mania heads the list with 118 admissions
in 1909, 111 in 1910 and 84 in 1911, or 60.20, 58.42,
45.16 per cent. of the total admissions, respectively.
There was a large diminution at Berhampore which is not explained by the
Superintendent. As usual, the largest number of recoveries are noted under this
heading. In 1909 there were forty-five, in 1910 forty-nine and in 1911 fifty-three.
Amongst types of insanity melancholia comes next to mania, and is responsible
for 46 admissions in 1909, 36 in 1910 and 73 in 1911. There was an increase
B 2