3
through whose negligence the lunatic
had escaped were dismissed by the
Superintendent.
Sickness.—The health of the mental
patients was not so good during the trien-
nium under review as in the preceding
period, the daily average number of sick
having been 117.90 (viz., 130.33 in 1921,
106.31 in 1922 and 116.97 in 1923) as
compared with 106.2 in 1918-20.
Fever.—Malaria was responsible for
the largest number of sick. In 1921
there were 222 cases of this disease, viz.,
2 at Dacca and 220 at Berhampore; in
1922, 211, viz., 12 at Dacca and 199 at
Berhampore, and in 1923, 159, viz., 17 at
Dacca and 142 at Berhampore.
Dysentery.—This disease prevailed in
an epidemic form at Berhampore in July
1922 and in February 1923. A new
segregation ward was opened in 1923 in
this mental hospital and dysentery pa-
tients were segregated.
Influenza.—There was a recrude-scene
of influenza in 1921 and 162 cases were
reported, viz., 80 at Dacca and 82 at
Berhampore. In 1922 the number of
influenza cases was 62 and in 1923 the
number was 33.
Tuberculosis-—Tuberculosis account-
ed for 14 admissions in 1921, all in the
Berhampore Hospital, 36 in 1922 (14 at
Dacca and 22 at Berhampore) and 30 in
1923 (16 at Dacca and 14 at Berham-
pore). Patients suspected to be suffering
from tuberculosis are accommodated in a
separate ward.
Accidents and injuries.—There was
no death from accident or injury in any
of these institutions in the triennium
under review. At Berhampore four
cases of serious injury occurred last year,
viz., one case of concussion of brain and
three cases of fracture of bones due to
accidental falls. There was no case of
serious accident or injury in the Dacca
Mental Hospital in 1923.
Deaths.—The total number of deaths
was 66 in 1921 or 6.89 per cent. of the
daily average strength, 63 in 1922 or
6.60 per cent. and 81 in 1923 or 8.52 per
cent, or an annual average of 70 deaths
as compared with an annual average of
102 deaths in 1918-20.
There were 40 deaths from dysentery
as against 22 in 1918-20, viz., 10 in 1921,
18 in 1922 and 12 in 1923. Pthisis and
general tuberculosis were responsible
for 38 deaths as compared with 79 in the
preceding period.
Criminal
lunatics.—The
average
strength of criminal lunatics in the Men-
tal Hospitals was 449 04 which is 46.05
per cent. of the total average strength of
inmates of the Mental Hospitals for the
past triennium as compared with an
average strength of 460.66 for 1918-20
or 45 .42 per cent. of the total average
strength of inmates in the preceding
period.
There were 456 criminal patients in
the Mental Hospitals at the begin-
ning of the period under review, viz.,
186 at Dacca, 269 at Berhampore and 1
at Gobra; 257 were admitted or re-
admitted during the three years, viz., 97
at Dacca and 160 at Berhampore. Thus
there was a total of 713 criminal
patients dealt with during the triennium.
Of this number, 163 were discharged,
viz., 63 from Dacca and 100 from Ber-
hampore; and 84 died viz., 41 at Dacca
and 43 at Berhampore. There remained
therefore 466 criminal patients in the
Mental Hospitals at the end of the trien-
nium, their classification being—
Under-trials ...
Tried and acquitted ...
Convicted ...
241
144
81
466
The nature of the crime as regards the
241 under-trial prisoners was murder in
56 cases, culpable homicide in 22 cases,
grievous hurt in 43 cases, theft in 44
cases, house-trespass in 19 cases and
other offences in 57 cases.
Types of insanity.—Mania was the
most common type of insanity and
accounted for the largest number of
admissions, viz., 86 in 1921, 88 in 1922
and 100 in 1923. As many as 35 out of
the total number of patients of that type
(407) recovered in 1921, 45 out of 406 in
1922 and 65 out of 429 in 1923. Melan-
cholia accounted for 23, 43 and 35 admis-
sions, respectively, in these three years.
Recoveries under this head were 21, 16
and 22, respectively, out of 171, 164 and
170 patients suffering from this type of
mental disease.
Recoveries from insanity caused by
cannabis indica were 24, 5 and 5 in the
three years respectively out of 115, 103
and 102 cases of such insanity. A new
heading, Dementia prœcocx, was added
in 1922 to Statement VI. There were 27
and 41 admissions for dementia præcox
in 1922 and 1923 respectively and 13
patients suffering from this disease re-
covered in each of these two years.