ANNUAL REPORT OX LUNATIC ASYLUMS.
Asylums.
Of those admitted during
the year—cont.
Of those discharged during the year.
Number and ratio per
cent, of those who
lost weight.
Number and ratio per
cent, of those who
remained stationary.
Greatest gain in
pounds.
Greatest
loss
in
pounds.
a
o
i§
t bp
'5
* .
bc'S a -a
SI
Aggregate weight on
discharge.
Number and ratio per
cent, of those who
gained weight.
Number and ratio per
cent, of those who
lost weight.
Number and ratio per
cent, of those who
remained stationary.
Greatest gain in
pounds.
Greatest loss
in
pounds.
Madras *
j
Vizagapatana
...
Calicut
...
•••
... j
43
38-05 °/ 0
5
21-74 0 /„
15
13-28 7 Q
1
4-35 •/,
JS9
35
J26*
14
is*
8,502
959
1,267
8,999 [
1,087 f
1,436 [
53
66-25 7 0
8
88-89 7 0
10
76-92 7 0
18
22-5 7o
1
ii-ii 7c
2
15 39 7 0
9
11-25 °i
}-
1
7-69 7 e
J39
35
}36
26
5
7
* 39 of the total treated (including 10 admitted) have been omitted from the calculation, as theix- weighments
were not made owing to advanced illness and other causes.
(2) Clothing.—In the Madras Asylum all the inmates were clothed throughout
the year, except the acute maniacs who are intolerant of all covering. The cloth-
ing was of cotton supplemented by flannel banians and woollen jerseys for the sick
and weakly.
Two suits of clothing were supplied to each patient in the asylums at Calicut
and Yizagapatam.
(8) Industries and employments.—Agricultural industries and weaving are the
chief industries in the Madras Asylum. The sale-proceeds of the garden produce
amounted to Rs. 1,750-10-11, being Rs. 229-5-0 less than the amount of income
in the previous year on account of the failure of the rains ; but the sale of manu-
factured goods advanced from Es. 1,021-7-1 in 1896 to Rs. 2,189-1-8 in 1897.
Mat-plaiting and basket-making gave employment to a few for a short period.
Garden and farm work, cleaning and pounding grains, &c, cloth-weaving,
tape-making, and tin-work continued to be the employments in the Vizagapatam
Asylum. In the Calicut Asylum, cloth and coir-mat-weaving, coir-twisting and
gardening formed the chief industries. Many of the insanes were also employed in
drawing and carrying water, cleaning the asylum compound, tailoring and kitchen
work. The females were employed in pounding rice, threshing and twisting coir,
grinding curry-stuff, and sweeping the compound.
(4) Amusements.—In the Madras Asylum these were very varied and em-
braced the following:—
(a) Open air entertainments with band musio and refreshments;
(b) visit to a circus performance;
(c) marionette entortainment;
(d) magic lantern entertainments with songs and music ;
(e) out-door games including quoits and football, and iu-door games of draughts and
cards and othor games for natives. Periodicals have been regularly supplied by Government;
and the gharri allowance has been drawn upon on the ocoasions of insanes going to entertainments
outside the asylum.
At the Vizagapatam Asylum the annual treat was given in April by Sri Rajah
G. N. Gajapati Rao, C.I.B. Singing, playing, tom-tom and cymbals, chess and cards
formed the chief amusements.
In Calicut His Highness the Zamorin gave the inmates a treat on the day of the
Diamond Jubilee. For daily amusements the insanes were permitted to play from
10 A.M. till 2 P.M. with kolatam or chess.
II.—STATISTICS OF HEALTH AND TREATMENT OP THE SICK.
(1) Sickness and its causes.—In the Madras Asylum there were 361 ad-
missions into hospital during the year against 399 in the previous year ; and the
daily average sick for the year was 48'07 against 57*27 in 1896. The largest
number of admissions in order of frequency was for mania, itch, epilepsy, enteritis,
melancholia, malarial fevers, and syphilis.