5
Conditions on which in-
sanes are placed in asy-
lums,
It will not be, I hope, considered out of place here to remark that all
the patients are, by law, placed in the asylum
under " care and treatment," and not under " treat-
ment " only. It is also not unworthy of note that
in all Lunatic Asylum Acts, the word " care " comes
before " treatment." This is not a mere form of words; there is a deep
meaning in it; for it is quite conceivable that a poor lunatic may have too
much treatment and too little care bestowed upon him.
Prevalence of bodily
diseases.
12. The nature of the bodily diseases which prevailed is shown in Table
No. 4 ; those most common are fevers and diseases
of the stomach and intestine, viz., diarrhœa and
dysentery. There is a considerable increase in the
numbers treated in 1873-74 over 1872-73. I do not very well know how to
account for this ; perhaps it is partly due to the large number of fresh ad-
missions, and, perhaps, to greater accuracy in entering all cases of bodily ail-
ments in the register. The medical subordinates, however, declare that fever
is now more prevalent, both amongst the lunatics and the servants, than in
former years.
Increase of insanity.
13. Judging from the statistics (Table No. 6) of the Kolaba Asylum,
there would appear to be an increase of insanity both
amongst the Europeans and natives ; but this is
more apparent than real. The large number of Europeans is accounted for
by the establishment of the overland transports, by which arrangement all
the European insanes from the army come to Bombay for embarkation,
instead of embarking from Calcutta and Madras as in former years.
With regard to natives, I think that the increase is owing to insanes
being sent in greater numbers from the mofussil, in consequence of there
being no accommodation in the Dharwar and Poona Asylums. I have pre-
pared a table, No. 17, by which it will be seen, in columns 11 and 12, that
the admissions have only exceeded the discharges and deaths by 50 in ten
years, or 5 in each year. In column 14 of this table, I have added the popu-
lation of the different castes, as given in the Census of 1872.
Influence of the seasons
in producing insanity and
causing deaths.
14. This appears to be the proper place to allude to Table No. 18, which
exhibits the influence of the seasons in producing
insanity amongst the inhabitants of Bombay, and
also in causing the mortality amongst them when in
the asylum. The admissions do not appear to fol-
low any fixed or regular order, but there is a regular increase in the number
of deaths during the rainy months.
Former occupation of
those admitted.
15. Table No. 19 shows the former occupa-
tion of those admitted during the year, and requires
no comment.
Means of employment
for insanes.
16. I am sorry that I have nothing favourable to say in regard to the
employment of the patients, either in a curative
or remunerative point of view. No kind of work
has been carried on except cane-work, in the way of
making chairs and baskets, and putting in bottoms to the ordinary sleeping
or Bengal cots, and now and then some carpenter work in chairs and boxes.
The workshop is a very small place, only measuring 60 feet long by 20 feet