( 2 )
7. Discharges, Nagpur Asylum.—Eighteen patients (15 males and 3
females) were discharged during 1899, against 13 in the preceding year. Of these,
11 were discharged cured, 5 improved and were made over to their friends, while
2 were made over to their friends as " not improved." The 11 patients discharged
cured include 4 criminal lunatics, 2 of whom were made over to their friends
by order of the Chief Commissioner and 2 were sent to stand their trial. Of the
18 discharges, 16 were among lunatics from the Central Provinces and 2 among
those from Berar.
8. Jubbulpore Asylum.—During the year, 23 patients were discharged, 18
males and 5 females. Of these, 20 were discharged cured and 2 who had improved
were made over to their friends. One of the latter is a Professor of Persian in the
Government College. He was discharged in February 1899; has resumed his
place in the College, where he has been working for over six months, and is now
apparently sane. The one case shown as discharged otherwise was a non-
criminal female lunatic who took advantage of the negligence of her keepers and
escaped. Particulars of the escape are given in para. 28 of this report.
9. The daily average population in the Nagpur Asylum was 172.90, or an
increase of 10.45 ; and in the Jubbulpore Asylum 155.02, or an increase of 2.13,
as compared with 1898. The maximum number of lunatics confined on any one
night in the Nagpur Asylum was 142 males and 37 females, and in the Jubbulpore
Asylum 129 males and 38 females. There was no overcrowding in the former
institution; while in the latter, although there was no overcrowding on the female
side, there was, for a short time only, an excess of 4 males over the number for
whom accommodation exists. This overcrowding will be obviated when the 8
cells referred to in the concluding portion of para. 4 of this report are con-
structed. In connection with the question of overcrowding, the Superintendent
of the Jubbulpore Asylum writes as follows:—
"To prevent this overcrowding, I think it necessary that more attention
" should be paid to the suitability of cases sent to the Asylum. Chief Commis-
" sioner's Book Circular No. XXXI, dated 5th October 1877, points out that, in the
" case of harmless lunatics, nothing is ordinarily gained by transfer to an Asylum.
" The Asylum is meant for dangerous and violent cases. I have several cases in
" the Asylum who are not likely to gain any benefit and should not, I think, have
"been sent to the Asylum. In one case, the report says that the man was found
"wandering and did not talk rationally, but was not dangerous to himself or to
"others; the man was a professional beggar. He is at present in the Asylum
" perfectly harmless, quiet and inoffensive.
" Another case, a female professional beggar, was sent to the Asylum with
" no real history of insanity. On arrival at the Asylum, she was very anæmic
" and was silly.
" There are at present in the Asylum 10 men and 7 women who should not
" have been sent and who will never benefit by being in the Asylum. They are
" more fit for the poor-house."
10. As in the preceding years, the percentage of cured to daily average
strength was greater in the Jubbulpore than in the Nagpur Asylum. The figures
are compared below :—
Nagpur ... ... ... ...
Jubbulpore
...
...
...
Daily average
strength.
172.90
155.02
Percentage
cured.
6.36
12.90
11. There was a total of 11 deaths in the Nagpur and 3 in the Jubbulpore
Asylum, as compared with 17 and 7, respectively, in the preceding year. The
percentage of deaths in the Nagpur Asylum fell from 10.46 in 1898 to 6.36 in
1899, or 1.21 above the quinquennial mean. In the Jubbulpore Asylum, the
death-rate per cent fell from 4.58 to 1.94, or 5.62 below the quinquennial mean,