OFFICE OF SURGEON-GENERAL
WITH THE GOVT. OF MADRAS,
MADRAS, 29th March 1893.
No. 312.
From
SURGEON-MAJOR-GENERAL W. F. DEFABECK, M.D.,
Surgeon-General with the Government of Madras,
Madras,
To
THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT,
JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to forward, for the information of the Right Honorable the
Governor in Council, the annual report on the Lunatic Asylums in the Madras
Presidency for the year 1892.
2. BUILDINGS.—During the year under report the new gaol enclosure in the
Madras Asylum was completed and criminal insanes from other asylums trans-
ferred to it. The transfer took place early in July and necessitated changes both in
the buildings and staff at Madras. Being enclosed by a high wall and separated
from the rest of the asylum ground, it gave ample facilities for safe custody. Hos-
pital accommodation has always been a vexed question in the asylum. The old
hospital block is divided by the surrounding wall of the female enclosure into two
parts, the part devoted to females is used as a hospital though inadequate for the
purpose; but the male part was given up, as it accommodated only 12 patients
and two ordinary blocks were used instead. The arrangement by which ordinary
blocks were given up for the male hospital patients were very unsatisfactory, and
the Superintendent has since been directed to transfer all his male hospital
patients to the old gaol enclosure, where better accommodation is available, is
separated from the rest of the asylum and is much closer to the quarters of the
Apothecary and the Superintendent. This has lightened the work of the staff,
and the asylum may now be roughly divided into 1st Criminal Lunatic enclosure,
2nd Male Hospital enclosure, 3rd Female enclosure, and 4th General enclosure.
3. I have already addressed Government in my No. 139 of 7th February 1893,
on the subject of improving the accommodation of the old gaol enclosure (Hospital
enclosure) and of surrounding the old male hospital block so as to make it available
for female patients; the surrounding wall of the female enclosure would then
encircle the whole block instead of cutting off the portion originally intended for
the male sick patients, but found inadequate.
4. A wall connecting the existing boundary wall and completing the enclosure
of the whole asylum grounds has been sanctioned and is in course of completion.
It will be of considerable use in preventing escapes and the depredations of thieves
from without. Quarters for the native attendants of the asylum, and incinerators
for the disposal of dry rubbish from the grounds have been sanctioned.
The feeding of the patients in a more systematic manner has lately been en-
gaging increased attention. Improvement is badly wanted in the male enclosure.
The kitchen is situated near some of the night blocks and trollies are employed to
convey the food to each of these blocks and to the different enclosures. The
Superintendent reports that this prevents proper supervision over the food and
the actual feeding, as the staff at these most important times of the day is split
up into parties, and the feeding cannot have that supervision by the Superinten-
dent and his responsible subordinates that it should have. I consider, therefore,
that day sheds should be erected near the kitchen surrounded with a low wall; all
the insanes can then be collected together during feeding hours and supervision
will be complete. The feeding of these people is always an anxiety, it is directly
connected with their health, and without careful supervision it is possible that some