14
ANNUAL REPORT ON LUNATIC ASYLUMS.
There have been five escapes during the year, three of whom were brought
back, and of the remaining two, who were admitted as criminals, one was trans-
ferred to the ordinary list as his time of imprisonment had expired. These two
patients made their escape by getting upon the roof of the latrine, and thence on to
the main wall, from which it is supposed they let themselves down by cloths they
had borrowed or stolen from other patients. Nothing has since been heard of
them although the matter was at once reported to the Police authorities. One of
them, an old offender, had been on two different occasions an inmate of the asylum
and gave great trouble. He was transferred to Rajahmundry Jail, much of his
madness being feigned.
4. The number of patients remaining under treatment on the 31st March
1879 was 227.
The numbers on the same dates for the three past years having been—
1878 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
1877 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
1876 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
223
276
244
Thus the diminution so observable during the famine year is still to be noticed,
tending to prove that the Lunatic Asylums are mainly filled from the poorer and
weaker ranks of the people on whom the stress of calamity falls heavily during the
year of famine and scarcity. At the same time, the admissions have been more
numerous than for the last five years, which would indicate either the degeneration
caused by famine, loss of property and distress occasioned thereby amongst the
survivors, or inability on the part of friends to maintain their insanes, probably due
to the same causes. Thus while the famine in its progress diminished the asylum
population by causing death to the weakly class from amongst whom it is recruited,
the inference that this would cause a decrease in the statistics of lunacy for several
consecutive years is refuted by the fact that madness is again the result of the
want, misery, and mental distress, the sequela of long continued calamity. One and
the same cause producing, first, a decrease, and subsequently an increase in the
number of insanes.
There were 47 deaths during the year; of these 31 were above one year's
residence, 5 admitted during 1877-78, and the remaining 11 amongst the new
admissions. Of these latter the health on admission was of 9 very bad and 2 bad.
5. There were 136 admissions during the year under review, of which one is
a readmission. Of these—
Military
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Criminal ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
Paupers maintained by Municipalities and Local Fund Boards.
Do.
do.
by Government
...
...
...
...
Better class patients ... ... ... ... ... ...
Partially maintained by relatives
...
...
...
...
17
37
24
48
2
8
Of these admissions 95 were males and 41 females. The great increase in the
number of admissions, as compared with the last five years, has been already alluded
to, and an explanation offered. It may be remarked that the proportion of females
is greater than for the last five years, being nearly double the number of three years,
and quarter more than the other two years.
6. In Form 7 are detailed the various causes to which insanity is ascribed.
These are divided into physical and moral. It must, however, be remembered
that these divisions are merely arbitrary. The recognition of insanity, as a purely
physical disease, is now gaining ground more surely, and it must not be forgotten
that the so-called cause is at most the exciting fact, or more probably merely the
occasion on which the lurking disorder becomes outwardly manifest. It is the
mark of noble and strong minds to bear misfortune with fortitude as of strong
bodies to endure hardships, and even injury without succumbing, but the mind
and body, inheriting the insane diathesis, is, as Dr. Conolly observes, " constitu-
tionally deficient in that quality of a healthy brain or mind which may be termed
its elasticity in virtue, of which the changes and chances of the mutable world