19
ANNUAL REPORT ON LUNATIC ASYLUMS.
This sudden fall in the death-rate is, in a great measure, due to the improved
diet introduced this year.
The death-rate has been 2.48 to daily average strength.
Epidemic.—There has been no epidemic of any kind, and it is gratifying to
report that the health of the inmates has, during the past year, been particularly
good as compared with the former years.
Diet.—The Superintendent considered the old scale of diet at this asylum to
be insufficient, particularly in nitrogenous elements, and recently referred the matter
to the Surgeon-General, who directed the more liberal scale of diet to be adopted
as in use at the Madras and Calicut Lunatic Asylums.
The new scale was introduced from the commencement of the official year.
It is ample in quantity, and of good quality, containing more nitrogenous and
oleaginous elements than the old scale of diet.
Many of the inmates are capricious as regards their diet, and others have a
low power of assimilation, necessitating great care and watchfulness on the part of
the establishment to ensure each patient being properly fed.
Treatment.—Occupation, recreation and an appropriate diet, with plenty of
out-door exercise, are the chief remedies trusted to for promoting recovery.
The patients are often sent here in a very weak and feeble condition, and if
they have not fallen too much below par, they frequently show great improvement
from the sole effects of good food, cleanliness and fresh air.
Out-door labor was found to have a most beneficial effect upon the patients,
those so engaged generally getting a good night's sleep—an important remedial
agent.
Each patient is encouraged to engage in some occupation or other; those who
are unable to perform the heavier kinds of labor are engaged in picking up leaves
or some such trifling work.
No compulsion is used as regards labor, but little indulgences, such as
cheroots, snuff, &c., are given to each laborer as a reward.
The noisy and violent are carefully secluded from the well-behaved and con-
valescent. The work has been almost entirely confined to gardening, drawing and
carrying water, clearing, levelling and putting in order the grounds of the asylum.
Buildings.—The asylum buildings are much in want of repair, as almost all
the roofs of the cottages are in a leaky condition, dry rot having set in in most of
the joists, and some of them being partly destroyed by white ants. The roofing is
so defective that, within a few years, all the terraced roofing will have to be replaced.
And this work should be carried out gradually, one building at a time; if not, the
asylum will become uninhabitable in a short time.
The roof of No. 2. civil cottage is in a bad condition and considered unsafe.
The Executive Engineer is of opinion that these roofs must come down and be
replaced by tiled roofs.
The hospital is at present without a roof, the main walls of the builings which
are built of rough stone in chunam have cracked very much, and therefore it is
considered unsafe to put on these walls the tiled roof, as proposed in the estimate
already sanctioned (vide G.O., No. 2295 W., dated 5th September 1882).
A fresh estimate for the repairs of this building has been submitted to
Government.
The civil male workshop has been converted into six separate cells for noisy
and violent patients, which are not only roomy but comfortable. The work has
been completed, but the windows of the cells should be provided with weather
boards instead of shutters.
A portion of the female workshop has been converted into two separate cells
for noisy or dirty patients. The windows of these cells should also be provided
with weather boards.
The criminal cottage has been strengthened by iron barred doors, and the gate
of the enclosure with iron spikes; and as there is no secure accommodation for the
criminal lunatics, so the repairs and alterations to be made by the Public Works
Department to the criminal cottage will be delayed for the present until the
hospital now under repair is available.