REPORT ON THE TEZPUR LUNATIC ASYLUM.
effects are not more displayed in this institution. The common opinion in Europe of
opium-eating is that it always ends by rendering the victim an imbecile. I should be glad
if the Superintendent would remark next year on the custom in the Asylum of continuing
opium to patients (I believe it is at his discretion to prescribe it), and whether in practice
it can be discontinued with benefit to the existing insanity. Similarly, the effects of
discontinuing ganja in a medical point of view might be usefully noted.
9. The types of mental disease affecting these unfortunate people (para. 15) do not
hold out much prospect of perfect recovery in a large proportion of cases. It is stated
in the report that the discharges have been only after acute affections, and this is what
must be expected. The statement that the bulk of the inmates are cases of acute mania
and dementia and melancholia is probably a mistake ; what is meant is chronic mania, with
temporary or periodical excitement, dementia, and melancholia: and these are, as a rule,
very hopeless of cure ; though the last two classes are frequently not troublesome, and
can be often educated to be useful.
10. Of the cholera epidemic I write with reserve, as I was not in administrative
charge of the district last year, and I am aware how difficult it is to recommend sanitary
measures from a distance, especially among the inmates of an Asylum. But when cholera
has been plainly established and the locality is affected, some effort should be made to
remove the Asylum inmates, or at all events most of them, to another locality which is
presumably unaffected. The narrative shows that the cases of cholera occurred day after day
for nearly three weeks, and to arrest the epidemic by dispersing the inmates was advisable
not only in respect of the lunatics themselves, but more so even out of regard for the
general population in the vicinity. Suitable quarters for temporary occupation should
not be difficult to find in a sadr station like Tezpur.
11. I had the advantage of visiting the Asylum in January last, and I could not
fail to remark the great care evinced by Dr. Campbell in his treatment and superin-
tendence of the lunatics, his close attention to every detail of their comfort and sanitary
condition, and his thought for such moral and simple mental exercise as suited the
inmates: the more they are kept in healthful agricultural labour and exercised in the
improvement of their own dwellings and food-stuffs, the better they are likely to be both
in health and temper.
12. I have not dwelt much on the statistics in this review of the report for 1883.
I note that in general they are satisfactory, the exception being a recurrence (from
epidemic disease) to the unfavourable rates of mortality which prevailed at the opening
of the Asylum in 1876-77. I trust this will be better guarded against in future. But
in fact the statistics are growing very cumbersome and unwieldy from the practice of
accumulating the figures of each year since the Asylum was established. With the Chief
Commissioner's approval, I propose to direct the Superintendent to give statistics of the
current year, followed by those of the previous year, and a comparison with an
average of the previous five and ultimately ten years, as is done in the reports of
the Sanitary Commissioner with the Government of India. It is the safest way to draw
conclusions where either large or small statistics are to be reviewed.
13. This annual report has been somewhat delayed in its preparation. The present
is the first which has been forwarded by Dr. Campbell, and some allowance should be
made for his inexperience. It had to be returned for correction. The completed forms
finally reached me only four days ago.
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