LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN BENGAL.
11
Receipts and
expenditure.
Table No. XI of the Appendix shows the receipts and expenditure on
account of manufactures in each asylum. During 1876, out of a daily average
population of 1,224.4, 886.8, or 72.42 per cent., were occupied on some work
or other. During 1877 there was a daily average population of 1,117, and 911.9
on an average were occupied each day, or 81.6 per cent.
In the following table the profits of manufactures in the years 1876 and
1877 are contrasted:—
STATEMENT No. 16.
ASYLUMS.
Dullnnda ... ... ... ... ...
Dacca
...
...
...
...
...
...
Patna
...
...
...
...
...
...
Cuttack
...
...
...
...
...
...
Moydapore
...
...
...
...
...
Berhampore
...
...
...
...
...
Hazareebagh
...
...
...
...
...
Total ...
Profits of 1876.
Rs.
1,812
2,420
2,232
179
158
1,330
42
8,177
A.
11
10
8
15
7
5
11
5
P.
0
7
10
0
8
3
2
6
Profits of 1877.
Rs.
4,012
3,568
2,180
224
1
1,583
666
12,237
A.
3
9
9
9
4
3
14
5
P.
6
2
2
8
0
5
2
1
REMARKS.
The asylum at Hazareebagh was occupied
by lunatics from the 26th May 1876.
The comparison shows favourably for last year. For 1875 the profits are
shown as Rs. 11,522-14-8, which is only Rs. 714-6-5 short of the result in 1877.
Restraint is hardly ever had recourse to in any of the asylums. As a rule,
the asylum buildings, judging by those I have seen, are very faulty in construc-
tion, being more like prisons than modern asylums, which aim at being as unlike
prisons as possible. Most of the asylums, however, were built when lunatics
were looked on as being as dangerous as wild beasts, and requiring somewhat
similar treatment, with an abundance of bolts and bars. But, notwithstanding
this, I trust His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor will agree with me in
thinking that the asylums of Bengal are well managed by the medical officers
in charge, who do all in their power to obviate faults of construction in the
buildings, and to keep pace with the modern ideas as to treatment of insanity.
REMARKS ON THE SEVERAL ASYLUMS.
DUILLUDA
ASYLUM.
Dullunda.—During the year Surgeon-Major A. J. Payne, M.D., was Super-
intendent.
2. In the following table the general results of the past year are con-
trasted with the average results of the six previous years from 1871 to 1876:—
DISCHARGED.
YEARS.
1871-76 ... ... ...
1877
...
...
...
Daily average
strength.
334.5
213.04
Admitted.
186.6
90
Cured.
92.16
64
Improved.
28.5
13
Otherwise.
40.5
26*
Deaths.
42.6
15
Deaths per cent. of
mean strength.
12.7
7.04
Ratio per cent. of
cures calculated on
the mean strength.
27.5
30.04
Ratio per cent. of
cures calculated on
the admission.
49.3
71.1
* Including 25 cases transferred to Hazareebagh.
3. On the 1st of January there were only 229 inmates in the asylum,
and there have been 78 admissions, or more than half the number of the
previous year, the reduction being evidently due to the working of recent
orders of Government. There were 12 re-admissions, against 13 in 1876;
thus the total number of cases treated was 319, and the average daily popula-
tion 213. In 1876 there had been 450 cases treated and an average daily
number of 290.6 inmates. The asylum, calculated at 50 superficial feet per
patient, accommodates 246 males and 47 females. The average daily number
of inmates in 1877 has been 159.6 males and 53.4 females, so that there has
been overcrowding on the female side. The maximum number confined any
one night was 165 males and 68 females.
Recoveries.
4. There were 64 recoveries during the year, which is a large percentage
on the admissions; but the admissions comprised no less than 57 cases of the
b 2