ANNUAL REPORT ON LUNATIC ASYLUMS.
11
life, had a blow on his head, or is given to drink, or suffered from syphilis, then
one or the other is put down as the cause, and the disease is classed under
" physical.''
Probably anything which lowers the general health in a person predisposed
to insanity may be considered as an exciting cause.
No cause was assigned in 55 out of the 94 admissions: 9 were supposed to be
due to " Narcotic drugs," 5 to " Intemperance," and only 3 cases are returned
as " Hereditary."
Recoveries.—Thirty-one patients have been discharged recovered against 36 in
the corresponding period last year, the number of admissions being almost precisely
the same. The number of recoveries must always depend on the class of cases
admitted during the year, and, as I have already stated, the proportion of acute
cases this year has been much smaller than in previous years.
The percentage of recoveries to average daily strength must continue to fall
as the population increases for every year. Incurables, who can only be removed
by death, are added to the population.
Handed over.—Every endeavor is made to get rid of incurables who can safely
be entrusted to friends. Twenty patients have thus been handed over during
the nine months.
Sickness and Mortality.—The general health has been remarkably good. Only
10 patients have died. I must, however, add that I am handing over to my suc-
cessor several hopeless cases of chronic disease which must add to the death-rate
before the end of the official year. In spite of this, the death-rate promises to be
lower than in any previous year.
Causes of Death.
Phthisis ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Pneumonia ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
General debility ... ... ... ... ... ...
Chronic dysentery... ... ... ... ... ...
Atrophy ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ...
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2
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Phthisis, as last year, caused most deaths. One patient was only three days in
the asylum; he had long suffered from phthisis, and to put an end to his suffer-
ings he attempted suicide by drowning a few days before admission. The two
deaths returned as from " General debility " occurred in old pensioners, one suffer-
ing from chronic dementia and the other from chronic mania.
Escapes.—There were two escapes—one civil and one criminal. The civil
patient got away while working in the garden, the criminal managed to effect his
escape during the night. He was locked up in a room with five others and is
supposed to have succeeded in unlocking the padlock of his door with a broken key
which he had secreted, and to have then scaled the wall of the jail by the aid of a
plough and a bamboo. The padlocks in use in the jail were a very common kind,
and a broken key which was picked up where the man scaled the wall was found
to open the padlock. The plough and bamboo should not have been left out for
the night, and showed great carelessness on the part of Serjeant Fowler, who was
in charge of the jail during the day. The lunatic, a jeweller by caste, was an
under-trial criminal charged with theft of a cloth. He was harmless. An
improved pattern padlock has since been sanctioned for the jail.
Occupation.—Weaving and gardening are the principal occupations. The
weaving fell off in the early part of the year owing to the loss of some of the best
weavers, but the work done during the last month has exceeded any previous out-
turn ; this is owing to the interest taken in it by Mr. Watts. Some land was
ploughed up, manured, and sown with dholl, gram, and sweet potatoes ; the former,
I believe, proved a failure, though they at one time promised well.
One hundred graft mangoes and 20 jacks have been planted out and fenced.
A large number of men are daily employed in the work required to keep the
grounds and buildings clean and in order, such as cleaning drains, clipping hedges,
clearing paths, drawing and carrying water, whitewashing, &c.