13
POONA ASYLUM.
Superintendent—SURGEON-MAJOR L. S. BRUCE.
Buildings.
The old civil hospital has gradually been adapted to the wants of
an asylum by various additions and alterations from
time to time. The buildings are in good order and
now well adapted for the class of patients that are received into this asylum.
Except petty repairs no alterations have been made during the year. The
ventilators in the male (separate) cells have been so arranged as to prevent
escapes such as occurred last year.
Capacity of asylum.
2. The asylum affords accommodation for 61 males and 17 females,
allowing on an average a superficial area of 100 feet
per patient. For males there are three large wards,
each containing respectively 21, 17, and 13 beds, and 10 separate cells for
noisy and turbulent patients. For females one large ward of 12 beds and 5
seperate cells are available.
Water-supply.
3. The water-supply is from the Kharakwásla Canal, and has, until
lately, been of good quality and ample in quantity.
Pipes, with four standing tap3, distribute it over the
asylum. One standing tap supplies the male, another the female portion, a
third is for the use of the servants ; while the fourth in the garden is for
irrigation purposes ; the two latter open into two stone-built tanks of capa-
cities adapted to their requirements. Government sanction was given in
1875 for laying on the necessary pipes for the asylum and the rates to be
paid for the supply of water for domestic purposes and irrigation were
respectively Us. 11-5-4 and Rs. 15-6-8 a month, or a total of Rs. 322 per
annum, which sums were duly fixed by the then Chief Engineer for Irrigation,
as shown in Government Resolution No 186, dated 21st January 1875, (General
Department). This answered all the purposes for which it was intended, and
enabled a good garden to be kept up, giving healthful occupation to many
of the lunatics, and the employment best calculated to improve the mental
condition of such as had a chance of recovery. Independently of the above
advantages the saleable produce of the garden more than covered the Gov-
ernment grant for the water supply. Last September a metre was placed
on the asylum supply-pipe by the Irrigation Department, and intimation
was given that in future water would be charged for according to the con-
sumption, as registered by the metre, when I learnt that, notwithstanding my
repeated injunctions that the water was not to be wasted, Rs. 84 was
charged for irrigation alone during September. I had at once to curtail
gardening operations and, until the wishes of Government are known on the
subject. I am quite crippled.
Conservancy.
4. A walled-in space contains a latrine for males; while there is
another for females The dry earth system is carried
out, and proves all that can be desired. When re-
quired for manure, the night-soil is buried in trenches on the premises, and
utilized for garden purposes, otherwise it is carted away, twice a day, to the
spot selected as the receptacle for the cantonment sweepings.
Drainage.
5. A large drain passes through the asylum compound, which serves
the purpose admirably of preventing any accumula-
tion of water. All the buildings are dry and whole-
some.