LUNATIC ASYLUMS OF BENGAL.
11
TABLE X.
Dullunda
...
Dacca ...
Patna ...
Cuttack
...
Berhampore ...
Total ...
1895.
Deaths.
21
22
17
...
15
75
Percent-
age on
daily aver-
age strength.
8.55
9.77
7.76
...
7.15
8.15
1896.
Deaths.
25
30
19
1
15
90
Percent-
age on
daily aver-
age strength.
10.09
13.48
8.70
4.26
7.41
9.84
Dacca again shows the largest numbers of deaths. Dullunda stands second,
Patna third, Berhampore fourth, and Cuttack fifth.
The deaths at Dullunda, 25 in all, resulted from tubercle of the lungs (5),
diarrhœa, dysentery and pneumonia (3 each), remittent fever and exhaustion
(2 each), leprosy, cholera, shock, bronchitis, malarial cachexia, diabetes and
debility (1 each). The larger death-rate is accounted for by the general bad
health of the inmates remaining over from 1895, shown by the enormous
increase in the daily average number of sick as compared with former years,
by cholera, by old age, and by the admission of patients already affected by
fatal disease. In nine of the cases that died, the ages varied from 50 to 96
years.
Early in May cholera appeared to be becoming epidemic, and special pre-
cautions, including the inoculation of 161 lunatics by Professor Haffkine, were
successfully adopted to prevent its spread.
The Superintendent of the Dacca Asylum remarks that the death-rate was
very high. There were 30 fatal cases against 22 in 1895. Tubercle of the lung
caused 7 deaths, amongst which one happened 22 days after the patient's arrival
at the asylum ; 5 deaths were due to diarrhœa, 4 of which the Superintendent
says looked suspiciously like cholera, occurring as they all did within a period
of five days during the epidemic season. Two fatal cases of a rare disease—
acute yellow atrophy of the liver—are reported, 2 from cirrhosis of the liver,
2 from enteritis, and 2 from apoplexy. The deaths from other causes do not
call for comment.
At Patna 19 deaths occurred, or 2 more than in 1895. Of these, 5 were
the result of dysentery, 4 of tubercle of the lung, 3 of anæmia, 2 of pneumonia,
and 1 each of diarrhœa, spleen, epilepsy, intussusception and dropsy.
Berhampore returns 15 deaths, the same as in 1895, 2 of which were caused
by cholera, 2 by tubercle of the lung, and 2 by dysentery. The causes in the
remaining cases do not call for remark. There was only one death in the
Cuttack Asylum.
17. Injuries and accidents numbered 16, as against 22 in 1895 and 17
in 1894. Of the total, 11 happened in the asylum at Dullunda, where there
was one sudden death, regarding which an exhaustive enquiry was held, but no
information as to its cause could be elicited. The contents of the stomach
were analysed, no posion being detected. The Superintendent says that the
death was probably due to shock from injury or accident. One lunatic was
pushed by another and sustained a fracture of the thigh bone. The remaining
cases were pure accidents of an unimportant nature.
At Dacca one lunatic pushed another against the cell grating ; the result
was not serious.
Two accidents are reported from Berhampore. A lunatic fell from a tree
he had climbed to steal lichis and received a concussion of his brain; in the
other case a man had his leg broken by the accidental fall of the stone of an
oil mill: neither was fatal. There were no accidents or injuries at Cuttack, and
at Patna only two slight injuries self inflicted.