2
LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN BENGAL.
other asylums. A diminution in the number discharged is chiefly observable at
Patna. There has been a general decrease in the number of recoveries during
the year as will be seen from the following figures:—
Dullunda ...
Dacca
...
Patna ...
Cuttack ...
Berhampore ...
1887 ...
1888 ...
1887 ...
1888 ...
1887 ...
1888 ...
1887 ...
1888 ...
1887 ...
1888 ...
Daily average
strength.
265.39
216.92
221.56
217.52
234.73
245.98
52.38
46.38
169.05
206.
Number of
recoveries.
40
34
19
15
9
7
9
5
11
6
Percentage of
recoveries on
daily average
strength.
15.07
15.67
8.57
6.89
3.83
2.84
17.18
10.78
6.5
2.91
5. Accommodation.—At some of the asylums there is sufficient accommoda-
tion for the inmates, but it is rather deficient at others. At Patna there was some
overcrowding, and the verandahs are still used at night for sleeping in.
Although this practice is certainly objectionable, the inmates enjoy very good
health, and while this is so, I hesitate to recommend the erection of any
expensive additional buildings. At Berhampore there was also some overcrowd-
ing of the male lunatics, but the females had ample room, as the central hall
of the asylum was apparently used for their accommodation. The same state
of things is found in the Dacca Asylum, where additional buildings for the
male lunatics are about to be provided. At Dullunda there was no overcrowd-
ing among the males, while among the females the transfer of seven women
to Berhampore ordered by Government gave much relief. The women in
the Cuttack Asylum are not overcrowded, but the men being in excess of
the available accommodation, some of them have to sleep in the verandahs.
A plan is at present under consideration for increasing the accommodation at
this asylum.
6. In connection with the limited accommodation and the annually
increasing admissions into the asylums, I think it would be well if the attention
of Magistrates and Civil Surgeons were called to Home Department No. 179
of 25th March 1876, enjoining that quiet and inoffensive lunatics should
not be sent to asylums unless there is some very good reason for doing so.
From a reference to statement III it will be seen that there is generally a
tendency on the part of the Magistrates of those localities in which the asylums
are situated to put lunatics in confinement in much larger numbers than there
is in outlying districts. This is particularly observable at Calcutta, Alipore and
Dacca, from which the number of admissions is out of all proportion to what
occurs at other places. For instance, it is inconceivable that it should have
been necessary to send to the Dullunda Asylum 60 insane persons from Calcutta
and the 24-Pergunnahs, while only one came from Tipperah, one from Pubna,
and one from Nuddea. Similarly there were admitted into the Dacca Asylum
19 insanes from that town, while only two came from Noakholly and six from
Mymensingh.
7. Criminal Lunatics.—There has been a very large increase in the cri-
minal population of the asylums, 384 individuals constituting this class having
been in confinement at the beginning of the year, and 418 at the end of it. The
daily average strength was 392.5 against 390.8 in 1887. The admissions
increased from 80 in 1887 to 99 in 1888, while the readmissions also increased
from 10 to 20. The number discharged in the latter year showed a diminution
of 14, while the deaths were less by 4.
8. The returns for the last ten years show that the criminal class of
lunatics is annually becoming larger, and it remains to be seen whether the
new system of discharging them after recovery, which was recommended
by a special Committee last year and approved of by Government, will have the
effect of reducing it. The large number of re-admissions in 1888 is noticeable,
and is probably due to the system of dealing with such cases, which appears to