Annual Report on Lunatic Asylums, 1881.
No. 1446.
GENERAL DEPARTMENT.
Bombay Castle, 21st April 1882.
Letter from the Surgeon General with the Government of Bombay, No. S.B.-87, dated 24th
March 1882—Submitting the Annual Administration and Progress Report of the Insane
Asylums in the Bombay Presidency for the year 1881.
RESOLUTION.—His Excellency the Governor in Council is glad to notice
again the punctuality with which this report has been submitted by the Surgeon
General. It reached Government a week before the prescribed date.
Asylum Accommodation and Con-
dition of Buildings.
2. The condition of the roofs of the buildings at Colába which was brought
to notice last year received attention during the
year under report, and extensive repairs have been
effected, while the other asylum buildings are re-
ported to be in a satisfactory state. Want of accommodation was slightly felt at
Colába where there was some over-crowding, the number confined at one
time reaching 342 or 42 in excess of the prescribed number At Dhárwár the
number confined exceeded the accommodation provided, while at Ahmedabad
admissions had to be refused after the maximum number was reached.
Number of Patients Treated.
3. The total number of patients under treatment at the several asylums
in this Presidency during the year under review
was 903 as compared with 913 during the preced-
ing year. The number of male patients fell from 764 in 1880 to 752 in 1881,
while the number of female patients rose from 149 to 151. 252 persons were
newly admitted, and 5 re-admitted. The daily average strength was 632—males
514 and females 118. The number discharged was 223 ; of these 67 were cured,
154 were transferred to friends (149 improved and 5 unimproved), and 2 were
" discharged otherwise," the exact meaning of which is not very clear. During
the year there were 110 criminal lunatics treated, being 5 more than in the
preceding year. Of this number 9 died, 3 were sent to undergo trial, 8 were
declared cured, 1 was given over to the care of friends, and 89 remained on
the 31st December 1881. Of the total number admitted 97 were Europeans
(chiefly soldiers from different stations in India), 91 Hindus, 52 Mahomedans,
8 Native Christians, 8 Pársis, and 1 Eurasian.
Cause of Insanity.
4. The alleged cause of insanity has been given in 416 cases, in 350 of
which it is ascribed to physical and in 66 to
moral causes. Insanity is alleged to be due in
178 cases to the use of gánja, spirits and opium, and of moral causes grief
accounts for 45 cases. In the review of the report for 1880 Government desired
that the causes leading to insanity should when practicable be given in cases of
lunatics confined for crimes of violence. This information is not given in the
report under review. Government trust that it will, if possible, be supplied
in the next year's report.
General Health of Patients.
5. The general health of the patients was satisfactory at all the asylums
except at Ahmedabad, where the Superintendent
reports it was not quite so good as in 1880.
Cholera caused 6 deaths among the inmates of that asylum and fever was more
prevalent than in the previous year. The total number of deaths at the
several asylums was 53, being 16 in excess of the number in the preceding year.
The principal diseases affecting the patients were malarious fevers, diarrhœa,
dysentery and general debility.
Financial Results.
6. The net cost to Government of the five asylums was Rs. 86,568-6-6 or
Rs. 136-13-2 per patient, as against Rs. 91,404-2-5
and Rs. 150-2-2 respectively in 1880. The cost
per head of patients was as in former years lowest at Hyderabad and highest at
B 1067-7