No. 699, PUBLIC, 25TH MAT 1898.
6. Sanitation.—The Government is glad to learn that sanitation and general
hygiene received special attention. The recommendations of the Superintendent of
the Madras asylum that the good conduct pay sanctioned in G.O., $o. 874, dated
26th April 1895, should be merged into an increased monthly salary, and that the pro-
portion of sweepers to insanes should be raised, should form the subject of separate
communications. "With regard to the provision of huts for sweepers at the Madras
asylum it will be pointed out to the Surgeon-General that G.O., No. 1701, Judicial
dated 28th October 1896, quoted by him, did not sanction the erection of huts, but
returned for revision the estimates submitted to Government.
7. From the statistics of weighments it appears that, while the proportion of
patients admitted during the year who gained weight was larger than in 1896 in all
three asylums, there was a considerable falling off in the Madras and Vizagapatam
asylums in the proportion of patients treated whose weight increased. No explanation
of this has been suggested. The weighment result of the experimental use of cholam
in the Calicut asylum appears to be very satisfactory, and to justify an extended use
of that grain.
8. The Government notes with pleasure the interest taken by Sri Eaja G. N.
Gajapathi Rao, C.I.E., and His Highness the Zamorin, in the asylums at Vizagapatam
and Calicut.
9. Health.—The following table compares the health of the inmates of the three
asylums for the last three years :—
Percentage of
Tear.
Daily average
strength.
Daily average
hick.
Deaths.
deathB to dnily
average
strength.
Madias—
440-19
8900
94
21-36
42376
67 27
38
896
421*26
4807
37
8-78
Vizagapatam—
59-39
11-49
2
3-37
67 21
4-63
1
1 49
71 61
311
1
1-40
Calicut—
103 36
22-57
14
13-54
101-22
24-82
. 7
6-92
( 1895 ..
9401
26-36
21
22-34
602 94
123 06
no
18-26
Total ., { 1896 ..
592 38
86-72
46
7-77
(1897 ..
58688
77 54
59
1006
10. The principal diseases for which patients were admitted to hospital were the
same as in the former years. Tubercle of the lungs, which in 1895 and 1896 was
returned as the cause of admission to hospital in a large number of cases, has this year
almost disappeared. It is observed that the Surgeou-General has not replied to the
enquiries of Government with regard to this disease in the reviews of the last two
years. Starvation appears as the cause of ten admissions to hospital and two deaths
in the Madras asylum. "While there was an appreciable decrease in sickness in the
Madras and Vizagapatam asylums, the proportion of sick in the Calicut asylum has
advanced year by year. In reviewing the report for 1896, the Government invited
the Surgeon-General's attention to this fact, and observed that it could not accept as
conclusive the suggestion that the advance was due to the admission into hospital of all
weakly inmates of this asylum. No explanation has been ottered in the present report.
The Government trusts that the matter will receive the careful attention of the Surgeon-
General.
11. No epidemics occurred in the Madras or Vizagapatam asylums: cholera
occurred in the Calicut asylum, and the necessary steps for segregating patients and
preventing the spread of the disease were duly taken.
12. Finance including Manufactures.—The following table compares the total
cost of, and the cost per head of average strength in, each of the three asylums in
the years 1896 and 1897 :—