8
LUNATIC ASYLUMS OF BENGAL.
9. Statement III shows the religion, sex and residence of lunatics admitted
during the year 1898. Fourteen were received from Cachar, of whom 2 were
criminals. The statement does not present any important variations in the
figures as compared with those of the previous year.
10. Statement IV represents the occupation of the patients previous to their
admission into the asylums. The majority of the lunatics came from the poorer
classes. In 25 cases the occupation is reported to have been unknown.
11. Statement V gives the ages of the patients admitted during the year
1898. Most of them were afflicted with insanity between 20 and 40 years of
age ; only 1 was above 60 years at the time of admission.
12. Statement No. VI.—The admissions during the year under report are
classified under the different types of insanity as follows :—
Idiocy
...
...
...
...
...
Mania, acute or chronic
...
Melancholia, acute or chronic ...
Dementia, including acquired ...
Epileptic ... ...
Other forms ... ...
Epileptic ... ...
Other forms ...
Epileptic ... ...
Other forms ...
Delusional insanity ... ... ... ...
Declared to have recovered or not yet diagnosed ...
1
6
96
1
38
...
5
3
9
159
As usual, mania is accountable for the largest number of admissions, viz.,
102, or 64.15 per cent., against 62.68 per cent. in 1897. There was no admis-
sion for " general paralysis of the insane," a type very rarely seen in India.
Dementia cases rarely recover. Only 1 case, a female, is shown as cured in
1898.
13. Statement VII. Alleged causes—Of the 159 admissions, 46 are attri-
buted to physical causes, 15 to moral causes, and in 98 cases the causes are said
to be unknown. The physical causes are reproduced below:—
Ganja-smoking ... ... ... ...
Spirit-drinking ... ... ... ...
Fever
...
...
...
...
...
Heredity ... ... ... ...
Epilepsy ... ... ... ...
Congenital ... ... ... ...
Poverty ... ... ... ...
Illness ... ... ... ... ...
21
3
2
10
3
1
1
5
46
There were 3 admissions (2 at Dullunda and 1 at Patna) due to alcohol.
No cases are shown as having resulted from the use of charas, bhang or
opium. Twenty one cases were attributed to ganja-smoking, against 25 in 1897.
Two are returned from Dullunda. Both of them admitted that they were
addicted to ganja and their medical history sheets corroborated their state-
ments. The Superintendent remarks that in one case there was congenitally
feeble cerebral development, which may be suggested as a predisposing cause.
Two ganja cases are reported from Dacca. The Superintendent says
that in many cases ganja was alleged as the cause of insanity, but in each case
he made full and careful enquiries, with the result that in only 2 cases ganja
was established as the sole cause.
At Patna there were 8 admissions in 1898 due to ganja—2 criminals and
6 non-criminals. The Superintendent reports that in only clearly proved cases
was ganja returned as the cause. Of the 8, 2 have since been discharged.
There were 4 cases at Cuttack. In each case the medical history sheet and
the patient's own admission all pointed to ganja as the cause of insanity.
Five cases are reported from Berhampore. The Superintendent says in
every case in which the cause of insanity was said to have been ganja and the
lunatic denied taking the drug, the case was referred to the committing Magis-
trate for further enquiry. Of the 5 cases in 1898, 1 was sane on admis-
sion, but being a criminal lunatic could not be discharged. One recovered and