From
To
OFFICE OF SCRGEON-GENERAL
WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF MADRAS,
MADRAS, lbth April 1896.
No. T/5A.
SURGEON-MAJOR-GENERAL C. SIBTHORPE, F.B.C.P.I.,
Surgeon-General with the Government of Madras,
THE HON'BLE THE CHIEF SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT,
JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to submit to His Excellency the Governor in Council the
annual report on the working of the Lunatic Asylums in the Presidency for the
year 1895.
2. General Administration*—In G.O., No. 1303, Judicial, dated 18th June
1895, reviewing the report on Lunatic Asylums for the year 1894, Government
expressed a hope that the introduction of good service pay for the toties of the
Madras Asylum would render their services more useful and bring them under
better control. The experience of nearly a year shows that, after its introduction,
their work has been more satisfactory, but the Superintendent considers that room
for complaint still exists amongst them, as they lose their good-conduct pay of one
rupee if by any reason they absent themselves one day without leave no matter
how hard they work on other days. The proposal to build huts for toties on the
same plan as those of the native attendants has been approved by Government in
G.O., No. 109, Judicial, dated 17th January 1896 which will be an additional
encouragement for this class of servants.
In the same order Government asked me to report regarding proposals for
the amusements of insanes. I have, in consultation with the various [Superintend-
ents, submitted proposals in my letter No. 169 of 4th March 1896.
In circulating the above order to the various Superintendents, I issued the
following instructions:—
(1) The necessity of seeing that the statistics and notes for their annual
report are kept up to date from month to month so that the annual one may be
submitted in time.
(2) Directed the Superintendent of the Madras Asylum to devote special
care to the manufactures in the asylum, which, it is gratifying to note, has brought
about much better results as will be seen from paragraph 18 infra.
(3) Their attention was called to the importance of noting in their reports
the number of cases which required forcible feeding with the different methods
adopted for the purpose, the result of which is also shown in paragraph 10 infra.
(4) They were also required to furnish a uniform tabular statement of
weighment results in order that it might bo seen clearly whether the diets in the
asylums are agreeing with the patients or not. A statement prepared according
to my instructions is appended to paragraph 5 (e) infra.
In my letters, No. T 4/35, dated "29th November 1894, No. 661, dated 10th
December 1894, and No. 111-A, dated 7th February 1895, I submitted proposals
to Government for the revision of the establishment of the Madras Lunatic Asylum,
and in G.O., No. 1511, Judicial, dated 17th July 1895, Government has disposed
of this question in the following manner:—
(1) Medical Subordinates.—In sanctioning the proposal regarding the sub-
stitution of a Second-class Hospital Assistant on Rs. 50 per mensem for the third
Apothecary on Rs. 105, Government authorised me to employ only medical
subordinates of such grades in the two different classes, i.e., Apothecaries or