2
18TH
MAY
1894,
Nos.
1190,
1191,
JUDICIAL.
amounted to 108.08 against 53.78 in 1892 and 26.75 in 1891. The Surgeon-General
declares that the increase in 1893 is not ascribable to a general low state of health,
but to the exercise of closer medical supervision. This explanation is not applicable
to the Calicut Asylum, where, as previously remarked, the sick-rate was comparatively
low, and it is probable that, elsewhere, the increase is to some extent only nominal,
being the result of the more careful registration of members of the weakly gangs.
It appears from the Surgeon-General's letter, read in G.O., dated 4th July 1891,
No. 1320, Judicial, to have been the custom until recently to exclude members of the
weakly gangs from the hospital returns, but it is presumed that all such persons now
appear in column 10 of Statement No. 1. The vital statistics of asylums correspond,
in the main, very closely with those of jails and the fall in the death-rate during 1893
in the case of both classes of institutions is, no doubt, largely attributable to the
greater general healthiness of that year ; it is probable that the improvement in the
death-rates of the Madras and Vizagapatam Asylums is also due, to some extent, to
more careful supervision on the part of the Superintendents.
3. The figures relating to the registration of the previous occupations of the
patients admitted during 1893 are satisfactory. The statistics in Statement VII show
that the cause of insanity was undetected in 33.4 per cent. of the total number of
cases treated in 1893 ; this figure exhibits a marked improvement upon previous years,
but the number of cases assigned to an unknown cause is still large.
4. The next and least satisfactory portion of the report relates to finance. Some
statistics of the average cost under certain heads of each patient during the last five
years are annexed :—
Year.
1
1889
..
..
..
1890
..
..
..
1891
..
..
..
1892
..
..
..
1893 .. .. ..
Diet.
Madras.
2
Rs.
68
69
72
84
88
A.
5
7
10
10
14
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Waltair.
3
Rs.
41
36
34
43
35
A.
5
6
12
4
3
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Calicut.
4
Rs.
51
47
45
49
60
A.
0
11
10
10
15
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Clothing and Bedding.
Madras.
5
Rs.
4
10
9
11
15
A.
5
3
5
5
1
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Waltair.
6
Rs.
1
2
3
4
1
A.
3
8
1
1
7
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Calicut.
7
Rs.
5
5
4
3
5
A.
9
6
11
6
13
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Year.
1889 .. ..
1890 .. ..
1891 .. ..
1892 .. ..
1893 .. ..
Medicines.
Madras.
8
Rs.
6
7
7
8
2
A.
14
11
2
7
1
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Waltair.
9
Rs.
0
0
5
2
4
A.
7
9
5
15
1
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Calicut.
10
Rs.
8
7
7
9
3
A.
14
4
12
1
1
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Contingencies.
Madras.
11
Rs.
7
6
4
14
7
A.
7
14
13
14
11
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Waltair.
12
Rs.
15
9
2
16
6
A.
9
9
7
11
13
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Calicut.
13
Rs.
7
10
6
8
10
A.
15
9
10
10
2
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Total of preceding columns.
Madras.
14
Rs.
86
94
93
119
113
A.
15
3
14
4
11
P.
0
0
0
0
0
Waltair.
15
Rs.
58
49
45
66
47
A.
8
0
9
15
8
--
0
0
0
0
0
Calicut.
16
Rs.
73
70
64
70
79
A.
6
14
11
11
15
P.
0
0
0
0
0
As usual, economy of administration is apparent in the case of the Vizagapatam
Asylum, where expenditure was reduced under every head as compared with 1892
except that of " Establishment" (an item more or less beyond the Superintendent's
control) and "Medicines," the increase in respect of which has been adequately ex-
plained. The same cannot be said for the other institutions and the Government regrets
to be unable to accept as sufficient the explanations tendered by the Surgeon-General.
The only item of expenditure which need be considered here is " Diet" and the outlay
under this head was inordinately high both at Madras and Calicut. Five causes are
adduced to account for the large expenditure, viz., (1) the substitution of ghee for
gingelly-oil, (2) the increased price of food and firewood, (3) the wastage of stores,
(4) the enhanced contract rates and (5) the increased supply of extras to sick patients.
The Government desires to have a detailed account of the increases due to each of