REPORT
ON
THE RANGOON LUNATIC ASYLUM
For the year 1887.
From Surgeon-Major D. SINCLIAR, M.B., Inspector-General of Jails, with Civil Medical Administration,
Burma, to the Secretary to the Chief Commissioner, Burma,—No. 66-17, dated the 14th January 1888.
I HAVE the honour to forward the Annual Report of the Rangoon Lunatic
Asylum for the year 1887. As in former years, I have frequently inspected the
asylum and have been satisfied with the arrangements made for the general
comfort and treatment of the insane inmates. From their remarks in the
visitors'-book the other visitors also appear to have been generally pleased with
the management of the asylum and its condition.
2. During the year under review two lunatics hanged themselves in their
cells with rope made from their gunny covers. In consequence of this the Com-
mittee of the asylum recommended " that neither gunny nor any material of a
" like nature which can easily be picked to pieces and then twisted into a rope be
" used for blankets or other covering in the cells." It will be possible to convert
any clothing material into a rope sufficiently strong for this purpose I fear,
hence I would not put much faith in this precaution. Arrangements whereby
the sentries can be kept on the alert are much more likely to meet the difficulty
as well as that connected with escape, which was successfully accomplished by
two civil lunatics during 1887.
3. There has been much sickness and the mortality has been exceptionally
heavy, more particularly among the civil class, which gives a percentage to the
daily average population of 10.6 against 9.6 in the case of criminals. In the
following statement prepared by the Superintendent the names of the 21 indi-
viduals who died from natural causes are given, with the date of their admission
into the asylum, the date of their last admission into hospital, the date of death,
and its causes :—
Name.
Reddy ... ...
James K. Ramsay...
Hoosain Ally ... ...
Temari ... ...
Coonah ... ...
Nga Tôk ... ...
Aproo ... ...
Ram Lal Sing ... ...
Nga Po Saing ... ...
Meera Bux ... ...
Hla Ba ... ...
Kaung Gyi ... ...
Che Tu Aung ... ...
Papiah ... ...
Nga Shwe Ngat ...
Nga Tun Shaw ...
Nga Tun ... ...
Pi Na ... ...
Ramayah ... ...
Maung Hla ... ...
Jummanah ... ...
Date of admission
into asylum.
13th September 1886 ...
2nd June 1886...
1st May 1880...
13th August 1886...
23rd March 1881...
13th July 1886...
26th February 1874 ...
28th March 1887...
28th April 1881...
9th February 1887...
12th April 1887...
20th March 1885...
3rd June 1887...
20th March 1885...
9th September 1884 ...
17th September 1887 ...
10th November 1884 ...
2nd March 1887...
20th September 1887 ...
15th November 1881 ...
7th October 1887...
Date of last admission
into hospital.
12th December 1886 ...
29th October 1886...
5th March 1887...
12th January 1887...
7th May 1887...
1st March 1887...
6th January 1887...
1st July 1887...
29th July 1886...
22nd July 1887...
10th July 1887...
25th February 1887 ...
28th July 1887...
3rd August 1887...
28th July 1887...
2nd October 1887...
17th October 1887...
3rd November 1887...
9th October 1887...
3rd October 1887...
15th December 1887 ...
Date of death.
19th February 1887 ...
1st January 1887...
17th March 1887...
21st March 1887...
18th May 1887...
19th May 1887...
3rd June 1887...
3rd July 1887...
15th July 1887...
25th July 1887...
31st July 1887...
10th August 1887...
16th August 1887...
18th August 1887...
25th October 1887...
28th October 1887...
5th November
1887...
9th December 1887...
12th December 1887 ...
17th December 1887 ...
21st December 1887 ...
Cause of death.
General debility.
General debility.
Diarrhœa.
General debility.
Fever, intermittent.
General debility.
Epilepsy.
Diarrhœa.
General debility.
Diarrhœa.
General debility.
General debility.
General debility.
Old age (72 years).
Epilepsy.
General debility.
Epilepsy.
Epilepsy.
General debility.
Phthisis pulmonalis.
General debility.
4. There were five more deaths in the year under notice than in the pre-
ceding, but the observations in the body of the report " that five of these were
admitted moribund and seven hopelessly ill," which is repeated, and that " the
" high rate of sick is accounted for by the fact of our having a very large number
" of incurables admitted into the asylum and kept in hospital until they died," are