2
7. Notwithstanding this increased capacity, there was overcrowding to a
certain extent on the male side of the Berhampore Lunatic Asylum, and on
both the male and female sides of the Dacca Lunatic Asylum, as the following
figures show :—
Bhawanipur ...
Dacca ...
Berhampore ...
Total ...
Accommodation available.
Male.
27
278
583
888
Female.
34
45
127
206
Total.
61
323
710
1,094
Largest number confined on any one night
Male.
22
298
610
930
Female.
28
49
127
204
Total.
50
347
737
1,134
8. Discharges.—Out of the 117 inmates who were discharged during
the year, 86 were cured, the proportion per cent. to daily average strength
working out to 7.93, which is lower than that of 1912, when it was 11.00. The
decrease (which took place entirely in the Indian asylums) is ascribed to
the predominance of inmates suffering from incurable types of insanity.
9. Sickness and Mortality.—The general health of the Indian lunatics
was not as satisfactory as it was in the previous year. This can be
seen from the daily average sick, which was 106.42 as compared with 82.42
in 1912. The increased prevalence of malarial fever in the Berhampore
Lunatic Asylum was chiefly responsible for this rise in the average ; in 1913,
121 inmates of that asylum suffered from this disease as compared with 77 in
the preceding year. This is attributed to the abnormal rainfall during the
year. Quinine was given to all the inmates on two consecutive days in the
week from July to December. There were also a few more cases of diarrhæa
and dysentery at the Berhampore Asylum in 1913, viz., 17 and 11, respectively,
against 6 and 2 in 1912, occurring chiefly in lunatics with filthy habits. Here
again the increase is also attributed to the abnormally heavy rainfall. The
Dacca Asylum was free from malarial fever, but 8 cases of cholera occurred
there, 7 ending fatally. The infection is believed to have been carried into
the asylum from outside—probably through the agency of flies. It is reported
that the first case occurred in the barrack which is nearest to the western
enclosure wall outside which, in the city, there had occurred a fatal case of
cholera a few days previously. There were 87 cases of phthisis under
treatment, viz., 41 in the Berhampore and 46 in the Dacca Asylums,
20 and 43, respectively, of these, being new cases. All these cases were
isolated and given special diet and kept as much as possible in the
open air. Forty-one lunatics succumbed to phthisis, viz., 20 in the Berham-
pore Lunatic Asylum and 21 at Dacca. The proportion of deaths from this
cause to total deaths was 46.51 per cent. at Berhampore and 46.66 per cent.
at Dacca, against 45.00 and 37.50, respectively, in 1912.
10. During the year four insanes, who were lepers and who had been
under observation in the Berhampore Lunatic Asylum for some time, were
transferred to the Gobra Leper Asylum. The fourth will also shortly be
transferred to the same place.
11. In spite of increased sickness, the mortality in the Berhampore
Lunatic Asylum was lower than in 1912; the figures are 6.03 per cent. of daily
average strength in 1913 against 7.13 in the previous year. This is decidedly
satisfactory and, taking into consideration the large asylum population,
reflects great credit on the management.
12. Against these favourable figures at Berhampore, however, I regret to
record that the death rate at Dacca was higher than in the previous year, being
13.75 per cent. against 10.15 per cent. in 1912. This was due to the larger
number of deaths from phthisis and cholera. The provincial rate was conse-
quently slightly higher in the year under review, viz.:—8.57 per cent. as
compared with 7.99 in 1912.
13. Escapes.—One of the female patients of the Bhawanipur Lunatic
Asylum escaped, but was recaptured two days later. The lowness of a portion
of the enclosure wall made escape easy, and this part of the wall has been
raised.
14. Accidents and Injuries.—A sad case of murder took place
in the Berhampore Lunatic Asylum. The deceased was an aged inmate and