114
REPORT ON THE
Average duration
of residence.
* See general statement
Nos. 7 and 7a.
25. TABLE 9.* Period of Residence.—The average period of residence has been less this
year, 544 days against 592 of the year previous. This is owing
to the large number of recent admissions.
General health.
26. TABLE 10. General Health—There were admitted in good health 20, indifferent 14,
bad 9. Of these last, three died; one after 1 month and 7 days' residence; one after 5 months
and 24 days; and one after 11 months and 9 days' residence.
Dieting.
27. Of the discharges, 12 were in good health, 3 indifferent, and none bad. This and
the weighment test show the food, clothing, housing, labor, &c, to be favorable to good health.
Food.—The feeding is, according to the Jail Code scales, the rice diet for Bengalis, and the wheat
for others. Extra vegetables were given gratis from the garden. The wheat diet has been most
valuable in improving those purpuric cases, having pale blue retracted gums, flabby piebald
tongues, and lax secretions.
Causes of morta-
lity.
* See general statement
No. 8.
28. TABLE 11.* Mortality.—The paralysis case was that of a man aged 55, admitted to
the asylum five weeks prior to death; emaciated, quite demented ; with
tottering gait, trailing the right leg, and unable to use the right arm
freely. He gradually became more and more paralysed till death ; a few days prior to which
the whole body became quite stiff and immoveable. There were no twitchings or contortions
of features or extremities of any sort. After death, a very large clot of blood of a chocolate
color lay under the dura mater, pressing in the left cerebrum to one-third its depth.
29.—The dysentery case was aged 36, and about 11 months in the asylum. Got ill in
June and died in July. The post-mortem revealed large shallow ulcers all along the colon,
and a gangrenous spot commencing in the right lung.
30. Both the above were criminal lunatics. The former had committed theft; the latter
had killed his wife.
31. The diarrhœa case was aged 23, admitted five months prior to death in a very
unhealthy condition; emaciated, anæmic, and having ulcerated and œdematous legs. He became
insane on the death of his father. Refused food, wore no clothes, would stand for hours against a
wall, usually trying to push off a rough piece of mortar with his tongue. If taken away, he
cried continuously. His extremities became more and more swollen, and he weaker and weaker,
till diarrhœa carried him off. Both ilium and colon were found ulcerated after death.
Forms of mental
disease.
† See general statement
No. 9.
32. TABLE 12.† Types.—The types of insanity have been carefully diagnosed. Those
men returned to the asylum after their trial are not now recorded insane ;
and those reported sane by the Committee are excluded from the list.
The others did not require change.
33. Recoveries to Type. Deaths to Type.—Most acute mania cases recovered, next
chronic mania, and last dementia. There was one death from each of the above classes.
Causes of insa-
nity—Indian hemp.
Charas.
‡ See general statement
No. 10.
34. TABLE 13.‡ Causes.—The causes of insanity have been as carefully sought for as
was possible. In but a very few had we to depend on the police des-
criptive rolls for this statement. Ganjah holds its place as the chief
cause of insanity. It occurs in three primary forms ;—the charas, a resinous exudation from the
flowers, leaves, and stalk of the ganjah plant; ganjah, the dried flower tops of the same shrub ;
and bhang, the dried leaves of the wild hemp, quite a different plant. The charas is not used by
the common people, being too expensive. The rich smoke it with tobacco, or eat it when made
into sweetmeats. It is said not to be injurious. It only stimulates when weary, brightens the