MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT.
MEDICAL.
No. 2450Medl.
DARJEELING, THE 28TH MAY 1894.
RESOLUTION.
READ—
The Report on the Lunatic Asylums in Bengal for the year 1893.
Read also—
The Report for the year 1892 and the Resolution recorded upon it.
The report under review, which has been submitted with punctuality,
shows the statistics of the asylums in the revised forms prescribed by the
Government of India during the year. The additional information required by
this Government as to the three classes of criminal lunatics, viz.—
(1) those tried and acquitted on the ground of insanity;
(2) those insane on admission and found incapable of making a defence;
and
(3) those who became insane during imprisonment,
has been given in the body of the report.
1
Remaining on January 1st ...
Admitted and re-admitted ...
Total ...
Discharged cured ... ...
„
improved ... ...
„
not improved ... ...
„
otherwise ... ...
Died ... ... ...
Total ...
Remaining on 31st December ...
Daily average strength ... ...
1892.
2
963
186
1,149
71
36
1
6
84
198
951
960
1893.
3
951
205
1,156
92
52
6
13
77
240
916
932
2. The statement on the margin, which gives details regarding the popula-
tion of the five native asylums during
the year 1893, shows that though there
was an increase of 19 in the number
admitted during the year, yet, owing to
the number of discharges and deaths
taken together having been greater by
42, the daily average strength was 28
less than in the preceding year. The
number of criminal lunatics in confine¬
ment decreased slightly: it was 445
on the 31st December 1893, against
449 on the 31st December 1892.
The decrease, which has been going
on steadily since 1890, when the
number at the end of the year was
1,021, was principally among the non-criminal lunatics, and it is right that it
should be so, for the retention of this class of lunatics is often of doubtful pro-
priety, when they are not harmful and have relatives who ought to and could
support them.
3. Of the 205 admissions and re-admissions, 103 were criminal lunatics and
102 non-criminal, against 98 and 88 respectively in the preceding year. The
increase occurred in all the asylums; that at Dacca was the largest and was due
to the transfer to that asylum from Cachar of fourteen lunatics, against two
in the preceding year.
The re-admissions during the year numbered 24,
or four less than in 1892. The decrease occurred in all the asylums except
Berhampore, in which eight were re-admitted, against two in the year
before.
It is explained, however, that of these eight re-admissions, six
were those of lunatics who, having been released to stand their trial, were
ordered back to the asylum after judgment had been passed. A similar explana-
tion is given of the large number of re-admissions that occurred during
1892, in regard to which an enquiry was ordered in last year's Resolution.
The Lieutenant-Governor desires that re admissions of this class, as well as the
cases of those non-criminal lunatics who are re-admitted to the asylum after
having been released at the request of their friends, although not cured, may in
future be distinguished from ordinary re-admissions of persons who having been
discharged as cured, are afterwards re-admitted as insane.
4. The number of lunatics discharged was 163 as compared with 114 in
the previous year. The increase occurred almost entirely in the Dullunda asylum.