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No. 55, dated LAHORE, 20th March 1885.
From—Dr. W. CENTER, Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum, Lahore,
To—The SURGEON-GENERAL, Punjab.
HAS the honor to forward Annual Report of the Lahore Lunatic Asylum
for 1884.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE LAHORE LUNATIC ASYLUM
FOR THE YEAR 1884.
Population.
ON the 1st January 1884 there were 283 lunatics in the asylum, of
whom 231 were males and 52 females. During the year 63
were admitted, 50 males and 13 females, making a total of 346 ;
of these 25 males and 9 females were discharged cured; 4 males and 1 female
improved; and 4 males who had not improved, but who were not found dangerous
to themselves or others, were made over to their friends on security; 4 males
escaped, of whom 2 were re-captured, and of the other 2 nothing has been heard ;
and 21 males and 2 females died, leaving a total of 276 at the end of the year.
The daily average population was 286.81. During the preceding year
the daily average population had been 284.21 ; the admissions 80 ; the discharged
cured 31 ; the discharged improved 6; those made over to friends 7 ; the
escaped 1, who was not re-captured ; the deaths 23.
Criminal lunatics.
2. At the commencement of the year there were 33 male criminal
lunatics, and 6, all males, were admitted during the year.
One, who had become mad after conviction, on expiry of his
sentence, was transferred to the non-criminal class ; 2 were transferred by
order of the Punjab Government to the non-criminal class; 1 was discharged
and 1 died, leaving 34 at the end of the year. The criminal lunatics are
all kept in the specially guarded ward, where all dangerous lunatics are kept.
Domiciles of lunatics.
3. On the proof of domicile the incidence of the expense of maintenance
depends. Many lunatics are naturally found wandering about,
and little or nothing can be ascertained as to their homes or
relatives. The expenses of their maintenance are rateably distributed over all
those districts of the Punjab from which lunatics are received into the asylum,
until the domicile is discovered. From frontier districts, many wanderers from
the Afghan tribes have been sent up. At present there are 18 of these in the
asylum. These are charged to provincial revenues. There is a considerable
number of our lunatics who are harmless to themselves and others, who could
be handed over to their friends, if they could be found. Occasionally when the
friends are discovered, they decline to take them over on account of the trouble
or expense. We are obliged to retain these, because, if let loose, they could only
make their living as wandering mad beggars. Dr. Gray endeavoured to get
24 of this class discharged on security of the relatives, but failed.
Paying patients.
4. The incidence of the cost of lunatics is arranged by the Accountant-
General. As far as is known in this office, the paying class
consists almost entirely of sepoys who are paid for by the
Military Department. Of these, four remained at the end of the preceding year ;
seven sepoys were admitted during the year, and, in addition, two private patients,
whose expenses are paid by their relatives to the Superintendent and lodged in
the treasury. Five sepoys were discharged during the year, leaving six sepoys
and two private paying patients at the close of the year. It is not known in
this office how far the districts or municipalities recover from relatives the
cost of the lunatics they send up.
Occupation and type.
5. I have nothing special to remark regarding the Tables IV. and VI.,
showing the original occupations of lunatics and the types of
insanity.