BRIEF NOTES TO ACCOMPANY THE ANNUAL STATEMENTS
ON THE LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN THE CENTRAL
PROVINCES FOR THE YEAR 1907.
On 1st July 1907, the necessary accommodation having at last been
completed, all the female insanes at Jubbulpore, 36 in number, together with
their attendants, were transferred to the Asylum at Nagpur, and the female side
of the Jubbulpore Asylum became available for receiving males. It has since
been decided that the Jubbulpore males shall also be transferred to Nagpur,
the Asylum at Jubbulpore being entirely given up: this, it is hoped, will be
possible by October or November of the current year. The provision of the
additional accommodation that will be required, for insanes and for staff, is being
proceeded with.
Statement I.
2. At Nagpur, in 1907, the admissions and re-admissions were 49(34 males
and 15 females) against 36 in 1906. On adding to this
number the 36 female insanes from Jubbulpore, the total
admissions aggregate 85 (34 males and 51 females). At Jubbulpore 15 males
and 1 female were admitted. The daily average strength was 317.15 against
298.50 in 1906: the increase of 19 was made up mostly of females (14, to 5
males). There was slight overcrowding on the male side at Jubbulpore until the
transfer of the females There were 28 cures—14 at each asylum, against 17 in
1906, and 3 were discharged improved from Nagpur. The deaths were
26 against 31 in 1906: the 18 at Nagpur were due to epilepsy (7), old age (4),
heart disease (2), and paralysis, anæmia, asthma, tuberculosis and gangrene of
the lungs (1 each).
At Jubbulpore 8 died, 2 from epilepsy, 2 from
old age and slow decay (one after 26, the other after 37, years' residence in the
asylum: both at the age of 70), 1 from anæmia (a chronic mud-eater),
1 from chronic Bright's disease and 1 from cerebral hæmorrhage (37 years in the
asylum). The eighth died of malarial cachexia 24 days after admission.
Statement II.
3. The admissions of criminal lunatics totalled 13, 10 at Nagpur and
3 at Jubbulpore, and 1 who had escaped was re-admitted
at Nagpur: 9 were discharged and 3 died, leaving
78 on the 31st December 1907, 47 at Nagpur and 31 at Jubbulpore. The daily
average strength was 81.06 against 74.28 in 1906.
4. Statement III calls for no remark.
Statement IV.
5. More than one-half of those admitted belonged to the begging or to the
labouring classes, whose friends are unable or unwilling to
take care of their i nsanes at home.
Statement V.
6 As last year so this year the majority of those admitted were in age
between 20 and 40 years, then came those of 40 to 60
years
Statement VI.
7. Mania as usual, heads the list of varieties of insanity in order of frequency
amongst admissions, accounting for about 75 per cent:
melancholia, dementia, idiocy and other forms of
insanity contributing 5, 11, 8 and 1 per cent, respectively. Of those
Oischarged recovered or improved, as much as 87 per cent had suffered from
mania.
Statement VII.
8. The Superintendent of the Nagpur Asylum doubts the reliability of the
causes of insanity assignted in new admissions, which he
says
are
usualy filled in by the Police or the Magistrate,
and have to be supplemented, when possible, by enjuries from relatives or friends