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this cause, otherwise the health of the asylum was good. During the
prevalence of plague in the city special precautions were taken to
prevent its entry into the asylum. The warders with their families
were all induced to leave the city and live on the asylum grounds,
temporary huts being raised for those who could not be accommodated
in the existing quarters. They, as well as many of their families, were
also inoculated. There was no overcrowding during the three years.
Benares.—The principal diseases in this asylum were—
Influenza ... ...
Ague ... ...
Dysentery ... ...
Pneumonia ... ...
Round worms ... ...
Syphilis ... ...
Phthisis ... ...
Diarrhœa ... ...
70
266
66
21
30
9
15
5
The 23 deaths in 1903 were from the following causes :—Pyœmia 2,
dysentery 5, congestion of brain 2, phthisis 3, septicœmia 1, heat stroke
3, hepatic abscess 1, pneumonia 3, drowning 1, heart disease 1, and
hyperœmia of brain 1. There were two epidemics of influenza during
this year—one at the end of 1902, and the commencement of 1903, the
other in November 1903. The intense heat of June and July caused
three deaths.
The 15 deaths in 1904 are accounted for as follows: —
Old age 3, dysentery 3, syphilis tertiary 2, phthisis 2, pneumonia 2,
tetanus 1, cystitis 1, and obstruction of the bowels 1. There was a case
of chicken pox which did not spread.
The 41 deaths in 1905 are as below :—
Dysentery 18, fatty heart 1, apoplexy 1, phthisis 5, rheumatism 1,
epilepsy 2, enteritis 3, erysipilas, peritonitis old age, syphilis and thran-
bosis one each, heat stroke 2 and pneumonia 3.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sweeny writes as follows :—
"The year 1905 was one of exceptional sickness and mortality for this
asylum. The death rate was the third highest in the last twenty
years. If the sickness and mortality had been confined to the institu-
tion one would attribute it to some defect either hygienic or sanitary in
the asylum. Such sickness prevailed, however, not only in the jail and
Police lines, but also in the city and whole district. The asylum
may be considered as fairly perfect in all its arrangements for food,
sanitation, &c., and nothing in it, or its arrangements, seems to account
for this sickness. I took the Sanitary Commissioner with the Government
of India round the institution, and he agreed with me that no defect in
the asylum appeared which could account for any excessive illness.
We were therefore compelled to assume that some climatic influence
prevailed over the whole district, and as might be expected in the case
of lunatics, who are unable to declare the preliminary symptoms of their
maladies, the mortality must always be accentuated among them.
" The total deaths of both city and district for eleven months of 1905 were
14,700 and 29,858 against 8,624 and 17,121 in 1904, or practically
double. From dysentery alone the deaths were—city 1,588, district
1,730 against 975 and 1,058 in 1904.
" The medical history of the year may be stated as follows:—
A severe type of malarial fever at the beginning of the year which, together
with the prolonged and unhealthy hot weather debilitated practically
all the inmates. Then ensued a very heavy rainfall which continued
for a short period only and closed prematurely. This was accom-
panied by a large amount of stomachic and intestinal complaints, and
dysentery prevailed to a great extent.
" Though 18 deaths were due to dysentery in a good proportion of them
dysentery was merely terminal. With the advent of the cold weather
the health of the inmates rapidly resumed its normal condition. In
the police lines adjoining (and I understand also in the Central .Jail)
similar outbreak of illness occurred, and the admissions to the police hos-
pital amounted to 771 against 554 during 1904. Of these the numbers of
dysentery cases were 48 and 28 respectively. From this we may assume