( 4 )
cost of each patient to Government (excluding payments by friends) was Rs. 85-6
per head. Of this, Rs. 36-6-5 was for establishment and Rs. 46-14-4 for diet.
The cost of establishment at Cuttack was extremely high (Rs. 72-10-3 per head),
or Rs. 30 more than at Dacca, Patna, and Moidapore. Dullunda cannot be
brought into comparison, as the Superintendent's salary is not taken into account
in the table. It appears also that, owing to the entertainment of extra establish-
ment from the industrial funds of each asylum, the comparison generally is
fallacious. The cost of diet per head ranges from Rs. 58-15-1 in Dullunda, to
Rs. 18-6-8 in Moidapore. In future years the Lieutenant-Governor wishes half
the salary of the Superintendent to be shown in the statement of Dullunda
establishment, and all the subordinates entertained to be taken into account in
calculating the average cost of the patients in each asylum.
18. The Lieutenant-Governor would particularly wish to be favored with a
special report regarding the boarding out of lunatics on what is called the Gheel
system, alluded to in the Inspector-General's 43rd paragraph. It will be
extremely desirable if we could get rid of some of the harmless lunatics
in this way.
19. Dullunda.—Looking now to the separate statistics of the several asylums,
the Lieutenant-Governor finds that in Dullunda the daily average strength was
335.12 against an average of 256 in five previous years. The admissions were
176 in all, or 52.5 per cent. of average strength ; the total number under treat-
ment being 493, of whom 92 were discharged cured, 33 made over to friends,
&c., and 43 died. The deaths were 12.8 per cent. of average strength against
a past average of 20.45. The most important events in the history of the
asylum during the year have been the completion of the new buildings, and the
re-organization of the accounts system and revision of establishment; but these
matters call for no remarks here. The number of patients which Dullunda can
accommodate is erroneously entered in paragraph 35 as 250. The Lieutenant-
Governor learns from the Inspector-General's letter No. 700, dated 17th
September, that it can hold 350 lunatics. The building of another asylum
will relieve this and the other existing asylums materially. The manage-
ment of the institution by Dr. Payne has been as creditable to him as in
former years. The total profit on lunatic labor for 1871 is returned at
Rs. 9,956-8-4, and the balance of the industrial fund on 31st December was
Rs. 2,530-4-6. But as items of receipts for maintenance are mixed up with re-
turns from labor, the fund is not properly an industrial fund. The Lieutenant-
Governor hopes that next year all these anomalies in accounts may be rectified.
20. Dacca.—Dr. Wise's report is, as the Inspector-General remarks, full of
interesting information, and on a par with the high character of all that
officer's work. The average daily strength of the asylum was 213.4 against a
past average of 218. The admissions were 80 in all, and the total under treat-
ment 290, of whom 29 were discharged cured, 15 made over to friends, &c., and
42 died. The death-rate of this asylum has for years past been excessive, and
formed the subject last year of special report. The causes of this are said to
be—(1) the bad physical health of lunatics on admission; (2) the long journey they
have to take before arriving at the asylum; (3) the influence of temperature dur-
ing the cold season; (4) the insufficient accommodation. By orders of Government
in 1868 no lunatics are to be sent to an asylum unless able to travel. The
observance of this rule was said to have reduced the mortality in Dullunda from
32.19 in 1866 to 12.62 in 1870. Dr. Wise accounts for the want of improve-
ment in Dacca by the fact of the long river journeys of weeks in duration that
lunatics have to be taken from the eastern districts to reach Dacca Asylum,
while most of the Dullunda patients arrive by rail. Then, again, it is noticed
that 52 per cent. of the deaths occurred within the last three months of the year,
a season which has always proved so trying to the weakened physique of the
lunatics. It is a matter for consideration whether a small asylum in Assam
is not urgently called for, to which the insanes of that province might be sent.
Special report is requested on this point after communication with the Commis-
sioner of Assam. The insufficiency of the accommodation has been separately
referred to Government, but the opening of another asylum will probably
sufficiently relieve the Dacca wards.