LUNATIC ASYLUMS OF BENGAL.
9
Three cases are reported from Berhampore, and in every instance, the
Superintendent referred to the Committing Magistrate for further enquiry,
before he accepted the cause alleged.
The medical history sheet, prescribed in Government of India, Home
Department Resolution No. 16 Medical/576-86, dated the 10th July 1896, has now taken
the place of the descriptive rolls previously in use. This is a great improve-
ment, and the new medical history sheet would be extremely useful to
Superintendents if it were properly filled in, but unfortunately this is seldom
the case. Many of them give very little information, and some, it is said, are
so carelessly filled in as to be useless. But doubtless, as this sheet becomes
better understood, it will be more correctly and fully prepared.
14. Statement VIII.—Sickness and mortality.—The diseases for which the
patients were treated in hospitals have been returned according to the revised
edition of the Nomenclature of Diseases. The figures for each asylum are
given in the Appendix. The total number treated and the results are shown for
the last two years in the following table:—
TABLE VII.
Remained in hospitals on 1st January ... ... ...
Admitted during the year ... ... ...
Total ...
Discharged ... ... ...
Died
...
...
...
...
...
Remaining on 31st December ... ...
Total ...
Percentage of admissions to average strength ...
Average daily number sick ... ...
Percentage of constantly sick to average strength ...
Percentage of deaths to average strength ...
1896.
90
898
988
765
90
133
988
98.20
84.64
9.25
9.84
1897.
133
667
800
573
89
138
800
71.92
128.57
13.86
9.70*
It will be seen that, although admissions to hospitals were less, the daily
average number of sick rose from 84.64 to 128.57 in 1897. The death-rate
was less than in 1896, the figures being 9.70 against 9.84. In the borough
asylums of England, the rate was 10.01 for 1895. The death-rates in the
asylums in some of the other Provinces in India are given below. They refer
to the year 1896, as the figures for 1897 are not yet available.
Bombay ... ...
Rangoon ... ...
Madras ... ...
Per cent.
10.7
9.03
7.77
Punjab ...
North-Western Provinces ...
Bengal (1897) ... ...
Per cent.
6.22
5.4
9.70
At Dullunda, there were fewer admissions, 279 against 418, but the daily
average sick was greater than that of 1896. The Superintendent states that
this was due to the fact that a comparatively larger proportion of the lunatics
admitted there was of an advanced age. He also says that another factor was
the exceptionally bad health of the great majority of the 79 lunatics admitted
during the year, which was probably due largely to the effect of famine.
There were fewer cases of malarial fever, but simple fever was more prevalent
than in 1896. Cases of dysentery were also slightly more numerous. The
numbers of cases of anæmia, debility, phthisis and diarrhœa were, however
fewer than in the previous year. The apparent improvement of health as
indicated by hospital admissions, is misleading, as a large infirm gang was
maintained, and many cases that would have been formerly shown in the
returns, had no place in them.
Dacca shows 175 admissions, or a decrease of 41, which was due chiefly to
the absence of influenza. Dysentery cases were slightly in excess, but the
number treated for diarrhœa was fewer. Malarial fevers were more common,
and the Superintendent states that this is mainly due to the fact that many
* This is inclusive of the one suicidal death outside the hospital.
C