©
o
'A
2
■a
OS
4
Resolution on the Report of th*. Tezpur Lunatic Asylum for the
year 1891,
Extract from the Proceedings of the Chief Commissioner of Assam in the Judicial
Branch, No. 1826J., dated the 23rd April 1892.
hav ing been:
In 1887
>> 1888
>> 1889
1890
1891
READ—
Letter No. 1175C, dated Shillong, the 25th February 1892, from the Administrative Medical
Officer and Sanitary Commissioner, Assam, to the Secretary to the Chief Commissioner of
Assam, forwarding the Annual Report of the Tezpur Lunatic Asylum for the year 1891.
RESOLUTION.
The average population of the Asylum during the year under report was nearly 120
lunatics, against 110 during the previous year, and the year closed with a population of
111 lunatics in the Asylum, against 118 at the close of 1890. The increase in the popula-
tion of the Asylum of late years is noticeable, the figures for daily average strength
71*29
83-40
95-42
110-65
...
119-65
The total expenditure on the Asylum during the year under report was Rs.
9,536-14-4, or Rs. 79-11-3 per head of average strength.
The Chief Commissioner regrets to notice that the number of deaths increased from
9 in the previous year to 18 during the year under report. It is known, however, to the
Chief Commissioner that the sickness and mortality were fully enquired into by the
Administrative Medical Officer during his recent inspection of the Asylum, and that Dr.
Costello has given directions and made recommendations which, when carried out,
will place matters on a more satisfactory footing.
2. When visiting the Asylum last month, the Chief Commissioner fully considered
the various alterations and additions to the building which have been recommended. Of
these, the proposal to build a masonry wall round the enclosure in lieu of the existing
palisade is out of the question, the cost being prohibitive. Moreover, the few escapes do not
justify the expenditure. In 1889 three lunatics escaped, of whom only one was a criminal,
and he was recaptured. Two escapes occurred in each of the years 1890 and 1891 ; but
of the lunatics who thus escaped only one was a criminal, and of the five non-criminals
who have escaped during the last three years, two have been recaptured. The proposal
to erect three new male wards and two female wards for non-criminal lunatics has been
sanctioned, and the work will be gradually carried out. Another proposal, namely, that
the water supplied to the lunatics should be filtered in regular filtering beds, with a
distribution tank attached, Mr. Ward thinks may stand over for the present. The
well from which the present water-supply is obtained is a good one, and although the
water would doubtless be improved by being filtered, as proposed, it seems scarcely
necessary, in view of other more important requirements of the Asylum, to spend money
on elaborate filtering arrangements, there being no reason to suppose that the water-supply
had anything to do with the heavy mortality in the past year. Considerable expenditure
has been incurred recently in providing pucca wards for the criminal lunatics. More
accommodation will be needed hereafter if the population of the Asylum goes on
increasing as it has done of late. There is, however, a kutcha ward for criminal lunatics,
now empty, which, it is hoped, will suffice to accommodate the overflow from the pucca
ward for some time to come.
By order of the Chief Commissioner of Assam,
F. C. DAUKES,
Secretary to the Chief Commissioner of Assam.
▲. B, Trm (Judicial) No. I-U5-4-S-W.