2
9. Intermittent fever, diarrhœa, dysentery, anæmia, ulcers and remit-
tent fever were the most common causes of admission. There were no cases of
cholera.
10. The number of deaths, 27, is again high, though 10 less than in
1889. The causes of death were dysentery, 4; chronic dysentery, 3; remittent
fever, 4; meningitis, 1 ; epilepsy, 3 ; fatty degeneration of the heart, 1; chronic
bronchitis, 2; pneumonia, 2; diarrhœa, 3; chronic diarrhœa, 1; ascites, 1;
phthisis, 1; and suicidal hanging, 1.
11. The deaths were at the rate of 115.3 per 1,000 of strength, against
146.9 in 1889, and though this shows a diminution in the mortality last year
of 31.6 per 1,000 on that of the preceding year, I still think the death rate for
1890 unusually high.
12. I find that 40.7 per cent. of the deaths are due to bowel-complaints,
against 37.8 per cent from the same cause in 1889, including 7 deaths
from cholera. This is a high percentage, and is not, I think, sufficiently
explained by the general unhealthiness of the year, as pointed out by the
Superintendent. Last year was unquestionably unhealthy throughout the
province, but the chief cause of sickness and mortality was malarial fever; but
the admissions to hospital and deaths in this Asylum last year under the head of
fever were less than they were in 1889. The admissions to hospital from bowel-
complaints in 1890 numbered 65, against 43, including 9 cases of cholera, in
1889. The Superintendent has not explained this unusual prevalence of, and
mortality from, bowel-complaints in 1890, beyond referring to the general and
special conditions under which lunatics labor. I have since learnt that several
of these fatal cases of bowel disease were confirmed mud-caters, which would
account for the fatal result; but I think Superintendents should explain in
their reports the causes of any unusual mortality from any special form of
disease.
13. At Delhi the daily average sick in 1890 was 4.82, or 5.2 per cent.
of average strength, against 5.01 and 5.2 per cent. of strength in 1889. There
were 101 lunatics treated in hospital compared with 95 the previous year, so
that altogether the health of the inmates of this Asylum was satisfactory.
14. Ague, diarrhœa, mania, debility, epilepsy, pneumonia and dysen-
tery were the most common causes of admission. There was a noticeable increase
in the number of ague cases treated last year over that in 1889, but fever
was unusually prevalent in the Delhi district last year.
15. There were 7 deaths in the Delhi Asylum during 1890, being
one in excess of the previous year. The causes of mortality were dysentery,
2; general debility, 1 ; epilepsy, 3; and pneumonia, 1.
16. The deaths at Delhi were at the rate of 75.3 per 1,000, compared with
62.3 per 1,000 in 1889, showing an increased rate for 1890 of 13 per 1,000,
Considering that 4 of the 7 deaths, viz., 3 from epilepsy and one from debility,
may be ascribed to the special mental conditions of the inmates, I do not con-
sider either the sickness or mortality abnormally high, and both compare favor-
ably with the same statistics in the Lahore Asylum.
17. Of the types of insanity, mania shows the largest percentage of cures
during the year, being 55 per cent, of the total cured. Toxic insanity formed
23 per cent, of the cures. It is not possible to compare these results with those
obtained in 1889, as many cases of toxic insanity were then included under the
heads of other types of insanity. It is noteworthy that of 86 cases of insanity
admitted into both Asylums during the year,32, or 37 per cent, were discharged
as cured or improved, and were cases of temporary insanity. These cases
formed 47.8 per cent. of the cures last year in both Asylums.
18. The cases of injuries in the Lahore Asylum due to epileptics falling
and injuring themselves, &c., were more numerous last year than in 1889. In each
of these two years there has been a single case of suicidal hanging. Last year
it was a female criminal lunatic who hanged herself with string from her
charpoy. There is no clear information regarding such injuries in the Delhi
Asylum, but the admissions to hospital from injuries due to any cause have been
very small both in 1889 and 1890.