12
The two cases of idiotcy made over to their friends in an improved condition
were when first admitted into the asylum three or four years ago unable to arti-
culate a word, or to do any thing for themselves, literally helpless in the fullest
sense of the term. On discharge they could talk a little, put on their clothes
and keep them on, were cleaner and more decent in their habits and able to feed
themselves. I have remarked improvements of this kind in five or six cases, due
no doubt to the care bestowed on them while in the asylum. There are two
women who have learned to spin in addition to the above, they appeared to be
hopeless imbeciles on admission. Their countenances have lost the vacant idiotic
expression they then had.
Statement No. VII. deals with the supposed causes of insanity.
Of the 29 admitted, 4 (males) were affected in consequence of the abuse of
ganja ; 1 male from alcoholism : 1 from bhang : 1 epilepsy ; and a criminal lunatic
was said to have become insane after " fever." These constitute the physical
causes, and I think they may reasonably be accepted as correct.
When we come into the domain of " moral causes" we are at once involved
in much uncertainty. I have often expressed my doubts of natives going mad
from grief, anger or fear. However as these causes were assigned by the Medi-
cal and District officers I have included them in this Statement.
Two males and 2 females were said to have become insane from " grief": to
me they looked as if destitution and want of sufficient food and clothing had more
to do with " exciting" the disease.
In 15 cases, of whom 5 were criminal lunatics, the District officials could not
conjecture what the cause was.
The information furnished with lunatics is often very scanty, of necessity.
because as a rule they wander away from their homes and friends until picked
up by the Police in some strange bazar or village where none could give an
account of them.
Statement No. VIII. deals with the bodily sickness from which they
suffered.
86 males 57/females 29 were treated during the year. 40 males 29/females 11 were for ague, of
whom 38 were cured and 2 remained under treatment, 1 case of continued fever,
with all the symptoms of typhus well marked, proved fatal after 18 days : he
was a strong fairly robust man.
6 cases of anœmia were treated ; 4 in idiots of long standing in the asylum,
and 2 in new admissions. 3 cases of general debility in new admissions were
treated, and 1 died. There were 18 cases of chronic bowel complaints, of whom
14 were cured and 4 died. This affection is one very common amongst the poor
and ill-nourished in the district ; our new admissions are almost all in this con-
dition when brought to the asylum, being often wandering beggars without suit-
able food, clothing or shelter, or if residing with friends, they are unmanageable
and deprived of those necessaries through their own wilfulness.
1 died of epilepsy, as described already.
2 cases of pneumonia occurred, both fatal ; they were detected early enough,
but the sufferers did not appear to possess nervous power to resist the shock to
the system. In these cases treatment must of necessity be stimulant from the
first, but at best the result is unfavourable in a lunatic.
The other diseases were trivial, but in lunatics the most trivial ailments
must be placed under special observation, as they never complain ; the condition
of the nervous system is so feeble that serious disease creeps on insidiously
until it becomes past cure.