4
introduced of late, are particularly in favour. Indian musicians and jugglers
occasionally perform and the practice of providing sweet rice in place of the
usual dietary on festive occasions still continues. For the Europeans in
addition to parlour games, tennis has been introduced for the more sensible,
and an occasional visit to the cinema is at times permitted, ride in a motor
ambulance is frequently enjoyed by the better behaved military insanes.
Tobacco in any form is in great demand and a liberal provision for this is
made, the asylum farm is in a great measure meeting the demand. Small
comforts are also procured by the hard working patients from the stipends
put at their disposal which are given as a reward and incentive for good work.
Dietary.
7. This has followed the usual liberal lines and is adequate and wholesome
and frequently supplemented by extras when-
ever required, the garden supplying all vege-
tables as well as the condiments.
Escapes.
8. There have been no escapes of a serious nature during the period under
report. In 1915, 4 non-criminal lunatics
escaped of whom 3 were captured and brought
back again, one of these, months after, when at Multan, was taken in charge
by the Police as being insane, they being unaware of his ever having escaped
from the asylum. In 1910 and 1917 there were 3 and 2 escapes, respectively.
Of these 2 were soon returned to the asylum. These escapes usually occur
from the garden gangs and in all cases are due to the absolute carelessness of the
attendants in charge, who show no sense of responsibility. In all cases the
attendant culpable has been severely punished. The system of criminally
prosecuting the attendants at fault in certain cases has proved efficacious
though it cannot be very widely adopted at the present time owing to the
difficulty of obtaining labour of any description.
Deaths from violence.
9. With the exception of a death from rupture of the spleen in February
1915, which occurred in one of the men working
in the garden, and which from the magisterial
enquiry held may have happened through a fall, the subject having a very
enlarged spleen, the institution has fortunately been immune from any
incidents of this nature for the past 3 years, though all the elements for a
quarrel are ever present in this asylum with its varied mixture of Sikhs,
Punjabi Muhammadans and the truculent Pathan. There have as usual been
numerous incidents of assaults, which have all had a favourable termination.
Suicides.
10. There has been in 1917, one death from an overdose of opium in a
criminal and there is strong reason to believe that
the drug was self-administered owing to grief
following the death of the man's wife. In this connection it may be mentioned
the great difficulty, nay, the impossibility of preventing the surreptitious entry
of toxic drugs through the agency of the attendants and sweepers. Regular
searches are conducted of all such leaving and entering the asylum, but it is
obvious that small parcels such as these drugs are in readily escape detection.
Occupation.
11. As usual as large a number as possible have been employed in the
various industries and forms of occupation occur-
ring in the asylum, that is providing their mental
condition permits. Some owing to the peculiarity of their illness absolutely
refuse to work, from idiots and dements no form of work can be obtained and
a few, chiefly cases of exhaustion, where complete rest is necessary any form
of labour, however light, would be fatal to their well being. With the exclusion
of these practically 50 per cent. of the inmates are employed in some way
or other; and it is found that insanes are more amenable, contented and better
controlled when engaged in some form of occupation. The major portion of
the blankets, woollen and cotton clothing is made up locally and the Mat Factory
is perennially employed in providing munj matting required for the inmates
and also to meet the demands from outside. With the war and its attendant
difficulty of obtaining sufficient raw material and the embargo on goods traffic
the efforts of our industrial departments have necessarily been curtailed.