( 5 )
She is a girl probably of about sixteen years of age. She is of small development—height
4 feet 4 inches—but without any deformity or malformation of body or limb. Like all other
" Shah Doulás' mice" whom I have seen, she is microcepalous, the circumference of the head
being 16 inches round the frontal sinuses, the antero-posterior diameter 5 inches, and the
transverse 4 inches.
She has not the misshapen slanting forehead characteristic of the
majority of that class of idiots. There is no occipital protuberance, and the scalp; especially
towards the vertex, is abnormally thickened.
The features are regular, and the expression of face not unpleasing.
Her senses appear to be perfect, but her intelligence is of the most rudimentary character,
and is not, I think, equal to that of most children of from 15 to 20 months old. She seems to
recognise different people and to comprehend the simplest ideas. She makes known her wants
by signs and sounds, but does not articulate more than monosyllables. Sometimes she will
sit for a long time swinging her body backwards and forwards, as native children do at school,
humming two or three monotonous notes again and again ; at other times she runs about the ward
apparently contented and happy, occasionally amusing herself by pinching and slapping some
of the other lunatics. She is cleanly in her habits. I find no evidence to prove that her
head has been forcibly moulded or compressed—a practice which some suppose is resorted to in
the case of all " Shah Dóulá's mice."
As I have said before, the head of the female idiot of whom I have above given a short
description is not. very typical of the heads of the majority of "Shah Dóulá's mice." But
the type of head and face which they present with projecting mouth and very low forehead
tapering to the vertex (resembling somewhat the head and face of a rat or mouse) is not
unknown in Europe, and my opinion is that enquiries into the subject will prove that the
peculiar shape of the heads of " Shah Doulá's mice" is due to congenital malformation, and is
not produced by forcible moulding and compression.
Causes of insanity. Statement VII.
5. We are very frequently unable to obtain any satisfactory information as to the causa-
tion of insanity in this country. In the case of wandering
fakirs—a class which supplies a good many inmates to the
Asylum—there is often no account whatever of their previous history procurable; while
in regard to most others we have to depend on the opinions of ignorant and superstitious
relatives recorded by native officials who accept them as quite satisfactory, however absurd
they may be.
I have little doubt that one of the most frequent causes is indulgence in some form of
intoxicating drug, chiefly gánja. From the return it will be seen that in 73 cases out of
the 351 in the Asylum during the year, insanity is alleged to have been due to that drug.
Opium, I believe, is much more generally, used in this part of the country than bhang or
charas, and yet only in 5 cases is it supposed to have been the cause of insanity.
Exposure to heat (no doubt heat apoplexy) and epilepsy are put down each as being the
cause of insanity in 16 cases.
Out of the 351 cases of insanity there are 130 in which it is alleged to be due to physical
onuses, 31 in which it is alleged to be due to such moral causes as grief, four, anger, &c.;
while in 190 no conjecture is given us to the cause.
Sickness and mortality, statement VIII.
6. In my last report I remarked that the year 1882 was the healthiest of the past decade,
with the exception of 1880. The year under review,
I am happy to be able to state, has also been an unusually
healthy one. The number of deaths during the year was 23, and the mortality to average
strength per cent. 8.09, the latter being .68 less than that of the previous year, when the
number of deaths was also 23, but the average strength was less than during 1883.
Six deaths were due to remittent fever, 3 to debility, 2 to pneumonia, 2 to diarrhœa,
and 1 to dysentery chronic. I need not point out that diseases are much more fatal in the
case of many lunatics than when they affect the sane, inasmuch as the former are fre-
quently in a weak and anœmie condition before they are attacked, and after they are
attacked they often obstinately refuse food , medicines, &c. In the case of a good many it
is very evident on their admission into the Asylum that their death is hut a question of days
or weeks.
Water supply.
7. In my last report I recommended that the Asylum should be supplied with water
from the municipal water works. Dr. Brown who had
charge of the Asylum for six months, from 12th April to
October, made enquiries as to the expenditure that would be incurred in carrying out the
proposal. He was informed that the water for the Asylum could not be taken from a point.