54
APPENDIX.
from the grating of his cell. Dry earth is used
in the cells near the door. Except in the large
wards, in which raised earth and kutcha brick
bed places are used, the men sleep on tat bed-
ding. The bedding and clothing are sufficient.
Dr. Macrae has been liberal in his supply of
blankets—a very important precaution.
The day latrines are clean, and are con-
structed on the dry-earth system. The excreta
are removed in a conservancy cart, and are
trenched in the jail garden, and not, as for-
merly, within the asylum enclosure. The
cook-rooms are clean. If the asylum is kept
up, Larymore's cooking range might be used.
The office is large and airy. The mortuary is
well placed and in good order. The asylum
is not overcrowded, and is, I think, sufficiently
large for the wants of the place. The cow-
sheds are in good order, but the cattle are
small, and are subject to sores at this season.
Dr. Macrae is paying more attention to breed-
ing. The milk is kept in a room near the
gateway.
The garden is good, and most of the men
are employed in it. They were cheerful and
contented, and fairly well nourished. I exa-
mined the gums of a number of them, and
found them healthy.
The average death-rate for 1897 was 8.08,
including one case of suicide, against an aver-
age for Bengal of 9.7, and for the whole of
India for 1895 of 11.27 ; varying from 7.9 in the
North-Western Provinces to 18.25 in Madras,
and four European countries of 11.5. The
average mortality at Dacca for 1892—95, four
years, has been 8.92, and 13.48 in 1896, an
abnormal year, in which there were 5 deaths
shown from a diarrhœa epidemic. The average
daily sick was 22.45 in 1897.
The mortality and sickness are not abnor-
mal.
An infirm gang is kept up. This system
has been objected to on the ground that it
gives a false idea of the health of the asylum;
but I think it is a wise precaution, as all that
is really done is so select feeble persons in
order that they may be more carefully watched,
fed and weighed than the other inmates. If
this is done in all asylums, there can be no
objection.
The asylum is very clean, and bears signs
of good management.
The hospital ward is spread with sand, and
wooden planks are used as beds with the tat
beddings and blankets. It would be well to
set apart a place to be used as a latrine, as
some of the patients would use it.
The water-supply is good. Iron drums
might be used instead of wooden casks. The
diet scale requires, in Dr. Macrae's opinion,
some slight alteration. He will make sugges-
tions, which I will consider in Calcutta.
There is no system of storing grain. This
also will be enquired into.
REPORT BY SUPERINTENDENT.
The cooking range and the cook-house
have been improved: the range has been
altered somewhat after the plan of Lary-
more's cooking range.
A place has been set apart in the hos-
pital ward for use as a latrine.
Eleven galvanized iron drums have been
substituted for the wooden casks for storing
drinking water. An iron tank will also be
provided for the cook-room. The diet scale
has been modified. Instead of a morning
meal of 1 chitak gram, the lunatics now
receive 1 chitak rice, ½ chitak dal and 1/16
chitak salt, and on alternate days 1 chitak
rice and ½ chitak gur. The change has
met with the general approval of the
inmates.
A trial will be given this year to the
storing of grain. Rupees 3,000 have now
been sanctioned for the purchase of a year's
supply of rice, which will be laid on in the
course of a few days.