REPORT ON THE TEZPUR LUNATIC ASYLUM.
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ANNUAL REPORT ON THE TEZPUR LUNATIC ASYLUM, 1879.
1. The general arrangement of the Asylum is the same as when last year's Report was written.
A considerable piece of ground outside the palisade has been broken up and put under cultivation ;
this land, of which there is a largo tract in the neighbourhood of the Asylum, seems to be fairly fertile,
and may in time come in useful for the growth of the articles of diet in ordinary use among the
insanes. As originally proposed by Dr. Imthurn, a row of bamboo has this year been planted to the
south-east of the Asylum enclosure, this in the course of a year or two will afford good shelter from
the cold damp winds which prevail here, and to which may be attributed a large proportion of what-
ever little sickness there is among the lunatics. I proposed enclosing the Asylum and a considerable
portion of the land adjoining it in a close "pakoree" hedge, which would not only afford shelter
and seclusion for the patient while at work, but would be a most effectual barrier in the way of escape.
I have now seen several enclosures formed by these hedges, and am satisfied that they might with
advantage be substituted for the expensive bamboo palisade now in use, which requires to be renewed
every two years, is always getting out of repair, and through which any cunning lunatic, if so inclined,
might easily make his escape. As the subject of doing away with the present building, and removing
the lunatics to a. portion of the jail, when it ceases to exist as such, is now under consideration, it
would be a waste of time and labour to undertake any works which will not be immediately useful.
2. The system of drainage commenced in 1877 is being gradually carried out, the patients
digging the trenches and carrying boulders for the purpose. The work, from a scarcity of able-bodied
labour, is necessarily done slowly, but will, I think, be of good service in keeping the grounds dry
and improving the sanitary conditions of the place generally. As yet, the huts do not seem to have
been much benefited by the drainage, the floors of some being very damp during the past rainy
season : to be of much use, it will be necessary to intersect the grounds with a number of these drains.
The plan of putting a deep layer of boulders in the trenches, and then nearly filling them with earth,
is an excellent one, it answers all purposes, is neither unsightly nor dangerous, as open drains would
be, and when once completed gives no further trouble.
3. The palisade, put up in 1877, has become quite rotten, for repairing it the sum of Us. 341,
or about half the original cost, has been sanctioned, with this we hope to renew three sides and
thoroughly repair the fourth. Almost the whole of this work is being done by the inmates of the
Asylum.
4. The huts, 14 in number, including the servants' houses, have undergone the annual repairs.
For petty repairs to 6 of these the sum of Rs. 290 was sanctioned, but by exercising care in the
purchase of materials, and employing the patients as much as possible, we have managed to thatch and
put all in good order. They are well, 1 think I may say too well, ventilated. By measurement I
find that there is, for each patient, a superficial of 63 and a cubic space of 690 feet. The ventilation
is by open windows reaching down to the ground ; these windows form openings in the wall to the
extent of 16 square feet for each patient ; if wo allow half of this for the entrance, and half for the
exit of air, w r e get, even when the air is "still" (a condition which must be very uncommon in Assam),
or moving at the rate of 1 to 1^ miles an hour, some 14,000 to 20,000 cubic feet of fresh air per hour
for each patient, while 3,000 cubic feet is generally supposed to be sufficient for a healthy adult.
During the rain-storms so very common here for six months in the year, coming on at all hours and
often with very little warning, the rain drifts in through the windows, which are so close together that
the patients cannot get any shelter, and, unless the jhanips are shut, are exposed to the cold and wet.
The amount of surface chilling that must result from this cannot but be productive of disease, and
especially of fever and bowel-complaints, which are the most common ailments in this Asylum.
Moreover, the constant entrance of rain keeps the floors wet, and deprives them of the benefit which
should otherwise result from the present system of drainage. To remedy this, and upon the principle
that expired air ascends, I have had the walls opened up below the eaves, to the extent of about 15
Miches, so that the windows might be closed at night without the air of the wards becoming impure.
During the cold weather the doors and jhanips have always been shut, and, as theso were almost tho
only opening for ventilation, the air became decidedly impure. By the system of ventilation under
the eaves, the doors and windows may be shut without any bad effect. Tn one double hut, 1 had the
floor taken up before the setting in of the rains, and a layer of boulders laid down to the depth of one
foot, on a level with the ground, and over this placed 18 inches of dry earth. The boulders prevented
die conduction of moisture from the wet soil beneath, and the floor of this ward was all through, and
a t tho end of the rains, as dry and powdery as when first laid down. 1 propose before the end of tho
Present cold season to have treated all the wards in this way. These kutcha tloors. provided they can
^e kept dry, are, I think, much better than pucka for an institution of this kind, where the majority of
the inmates arc filthy in their habits, and cannot be induced to make use of utensils for the purposes of
Mature : dry earth, when soiled, is easily removed, while, from a pucka floor it is difficult, even with a
hberal use of disinfectants, to remove all traces of ordure.
5. Tho hospital, with the exception of on one or two occasions, has only been used as a dav
Ward for such as wero kept under observation, or required extra care in the way of dieting ; for this,
« is very useful, but it is not at all suited for the reception of patients suffering from bowel-complaints;