11
Length of residence of
those who recovered and
those who died.
11. The average period of detention of each lunatic who recovered was
10 months and 8 days, the maximum being 4 years
and 9 months and 6 days, the minimum 1 month.
Of those who died the average was 6 years 2 months
and 10 days, the maximum being 27 years 3 months
and 8 days, the minimum 6 days.
Causes of insanity.
12. Statements No. 7 show the causes of insanity so far as could be
ascertained. The proportion of known causes was
243 to 203 unknown. The known causes are divided,
as usual, into the physical and moral, these agents are however so combined
in the majority of instances that it is difficult to give to either their relative
value as they seldom act singly. Amongst the poorer classes, and more parti-
cularly among the males, one rarely sees a case of insanity of purely moral
origin. The effect is frequently made to supply the place of the cause, and
the early symptoms of insanity are often mistaken for that which has pro-
duced them; thus insanity may assume the form of religious mania or
melancholy, the origin of which may be intemperance or self-abuse. Again
poverty, grief, and domestic troubles are generally associated with physical
impairment. Amongst the physical causes 53 cases are attributed to ganja,
28 to spirits, and 3 to opium. Fever is said to have been the exciting cause
in 10 cases, previous attack in 18, hereditary predisposition and congenital
in 21, destitution 19, epilepsy 16, disorder of parturition 5, injury to
head 12, climate 7, and masturbation 5. Of moral causes domestic troubles
were those most frequently assigned and account for 24 cases. Religious
excitement was assigned as a cause in 4 cases, study in 4, and fright in 3.
Sickness and mortality.
13. Considering the depressed physical and mental state of the majo-
rity of the patients, the general health has been
comparatively satisfactory; the number of admissions
into hospital, on account of disease, shows a decline of 153, as compared with
last year ; the decline is chiefly in fever ; bronchitis and bowel complaints
were also less prevalent; the mortality was chiefly confined to the aged and
infirm. Of the 19 deaths, no fewer than 10 are recorded under the head of
debility; 6 of these had been on an average over 16 years in the asylum.
A European female, an old resident, died of phthisis ; 2 deaths resulted from
epilepsy, one from traumatic erysipelas, and one patient sank from exhaustion
consequent on maniacal excitment; dysentery and diarrhœa each return 1
death, and 1 patient succeeded in committing sucide by hanging himself
during the night with a small cord, which he contrived in some way to secrete
in his pillow case. He was a Chinaman and a criminal, who only a short
time before had given up the idea of starving himself, having refused food
obstinately for about 5 months; he found he could not succeed as he had been
fed regularly with the stomach pump. The daily average sick was 34.9.
Vaccination.
14. One hundred and four patients were vacci-
nated. The operation was successful in 63.
Criminal lunatics.
15. There remained at the end of the year 46 criminal lunatic male
and 3 females. Twelve males were admitted. The
total treated, therefore, was 61, of whom 58 were
males and 3 females ; 8 males and 1 female were discharged, of whom 4
having recovered were sent to stand their trial, 2 ceased to be criminals,
2 improved and were handed over to their relatives by order of Government.