6
1913 and 41 in 1914, of whom 5, 14 and 8 respectively were discharged and
1, 2 and 4 died," leaving 33 on the asylum rolls at the end of the year 1912
and 29 at the end of each of the following two years.
14. Statement II—Criminal Lunatics.—The total number of criminal
lunatics confined in the three Lunatic Asylums was 607 during the past year
against 617 and 596 in 1912 and 1913, respectively, or an average criminal
population of 607 for the three years against 572 of 1909—1911, that being 47.31
and 47.54 per cent. of the total population of the lunatic asylums during the
two periods respectively. Their daily average strength was 510.88 in 1914
against 498.70 and 512.08 in the two previous years, the mean strength for the
triennium having been 507.22 as compared with 470.76 of 1909—1911. Admis-
sions and readmissions during 1914 numbered 91, or a falling off of 3 in com-
parison with 1913 and of 30 in comparison with 1912. Sixty-seven criminal
lunatics were discharged in 1914 (including a certain number transferred to
the non-criminal class) against 82 in 1912 and 42 in 1913.
The orders of Government enjoining the release of harmless lunatics
convicted of trivial offences were strictly observed in all the lunatic asylums
and six lunatics were discharged in 1913 and four in 1914 in accordance with
these orders.
There were 39 deaths amongst this class of lunatics during the past year
which is 42.85 per cent. of total deaths of the asylums against 33 and 38 or
38.82 and 40.86 per cent. in 1912 and 1913. The mean death-rate to
daily average strength of the criminal population during the triennium
under report was 7.29 against 6.79 per cent. of the previous period.
15. Statements III , IV and V.—Call for no remarks.
16. Statement VI—Types of Insanity.—The common types of insanity
treated in the Asylums during the triennial period under notice were—Mania,
Melancholia, Delusional Insanity and the Insanity due to Haschisch, for
which 73, 45, 21 and 38 lunatics respectively were admitted annually on an
average during the triennium, or 32.6, 20.09, 9.4 and 16.9 per cent. of total
admissions. The average number of insanes of the above types that were
under treatment during the triennium were—Mania 432, Melancholia 196,
Delusional 112 and Insanity of Haschisch 146. The average recoveries among
these types were 32, 17 , 8 and 18 respectively per annum or 7.40, 8.67, 7.14
and 12.32 per cent. of the total numbers of these types under treatment.
There were also 69 lunatics of the type of Idiocy under treatment
during the year 1914 against 77 and 71 in 1912 and 1913, but none of them
yielded to treatment.
Five cases of General Paralysis of the Insane were admitted during
1912, viz., 4 in the European Lunatic Asylum at: Bhowanipur and 1 in the
Indian Lunatic Asylum at Dacca and 2 in 1913, viz., 1 each in the above two
Lunatic Asylums. Only 2 of these cases recovered. No case of this type
was received in 1914.
17. Statement VII.—In the Report for 1912 I pointed out the defects of
the form in which this statement is drawn up, and subsequently definite sugges-
tions were also submitted by this office, at the instance of Government, for
modifying the form. But I am sorry that beyond prescribing an expedient
for accounting for the inevitable discrepancy between the totals of this
statement and the actual figures for admission, Government did not think
it necessary to take any steps to improve the form. It has consequently
remained defective in an essential point, viz., that it does not afford the
necessary facility for tracing out the exciting cause of a particular case, of
which the predisposing cause is recorded against one of the printed Ætiologi-
cal factors in column 1 and vice versa.
Intoxicants, chiefly ganja, were the most prolific Ætiological factors of
insanity and accounted for 21.98 per cent. of the average admissions of the
three years under notice. Next to this comes insane Inhe itance which was
the cause of insanity in 17.24 per cent. of total admissions.
Critical
Periods. chiefly Senility,
was responsible for 6.89 per cent. of the
admissions and Mental Instability for 6.03 per cent. There was one case of
insanity from Sunstroke (Traumatic) admitted into the Bhowanipur Lunatic
Asylum last year, and two of insanity due to Child-bearing (Puerperal), viz.,
1 in 1912 and 1 in 1914. One such case was also admitted into the Dacca
Lunatic Asylum in 1913.