LUNATIC ASYLUMS OF BENGAL.
9
TABLE VII.
Remained in hospital on 1st January ... ...
Admitted during the year ... ...
Total ...
Discharged ... ... ... ...
Died ... ... ... ...
Remaining on 31st December ... ...
Total ...
Percentage of admissions to average strength ...
Average daily number of sick ... ...
Percentage of constantly sick to average strength ...
Percentage of deaths to average strength. ...
1894.
41
678
719
591
75
53
719
74.07
55.41
6.05
8.19
1895.
53
954
1,007
844
73
90
1,007
103.78
58.81
6.39
8.15*
* Inclusive of two deaths outside the hospitals of the asylums.
Madras ... ...
Bombay ... ...
Punjab ... ...
North-Western Provinces
Burma ... ...
Bengal ... ...
10.30
13.9
12.30
9.24
9.96
8.15
There was an increase of 276 admissions to hospital in 1895 over 1894,
the percentage of sick to strength slightly increased,
but the death-rate is somewhat on a par with the
latter year. The admission-rates of the British
troops in Bengal for 1894 was 106.71 per cent., and
that for the native troops 90.39 per cent., excluding
venereal disease. The death-rates in the asylums of
the other provinces in India are given in the margin. The rate for Bengal is
the lowest, which is satisfactory. It is more so when compared with that of the
county and borough asylums of England, where the mortality for the ten years
ending with 1893 was on the daily average strength 10.1.
At Dullunda there was an increase of 302 in the total number of admis-
sions, which the Superintendent attributes to the greater prevalence of malarial
fevers, to an outbreak of influenza, and to debility resulting from these causes.
It will be seen that "debility" accounts for 159, against 30 in the previous year.
The admission rate increased by 430 per cent. Surgeon-Colonel Hutcheson
lately very seriously complained of the penal labour that is exacted from the
lunatics of this Asylum. Seeing that 64.74 per cent. of the cases suffered from
" debility," it may appear strange that the lunatics should have been put to hard
labour. Fevers gave 137 admissions, influenza 28, diarrhœa and dysentery 19
and 14 respectively, against 9 each in 1894, pneumonia 4, tubercle of lungs 6,
against 4 in the previous year, and anæmia 4. One case of cholera occurred in
the Asylum in the month of April, and the Superintendent states that no cause
could be found to account for its origin.
Dacca had 198 admissions, against 155 in 1894 —an increase of 43. There
were 60 admissions from influenza against none in 1894, and 35 from fevers.
There were 6 cases of debility as compared with 16 in the previous year,
19 of dysentery, 17 of diarrhœa, 7 of anæmia, and 4 of pneumonia. There
was a decrease in tubercle of lungs—3 against 15.
Patna showed a decrease of 28 in admissions, which, the Superintendent
states, is probably due to the district having been more healthy. Dysentery
furnished 25 cases, against 28 in 1894, fevers increased by 3 only, diarrhœa
was less by 3. There were no cases of pneumonia and " debility." A case of
cholera occurred, which was fatal: the patient had been in the Asylum for over
25 years. No local cause of the disease could be traced. The disease was
also a visitant in the jail, there having been 7 cases later on in the same month
in which the solitary case in the Asylum occurred.
Cuttack had 8 admissions in excess of 1894, which the Superintendent
attributes to " sudden hygienic change of the season." Fever gave 6 admis-
sions, dysentery 3, and diarrhœa 2. There was no epidemic.
Berhampore shows a diminution of 49 admissions as compared with 1894.
This was mainly due to the fact that there were no cases of influenza, whereas in
1894 there were 32. Fevers were less by 9, but diarrhœa was more numerous -
D