7
during their respective festivals. Patients' religious feelings and sentiments
are respected as far as possible and all are encouraged to observe fasts.
(6) Diet.—Diet is considered one of the most important method of mental
treatment; the better the diet the greater is the hope of recovery. The
diet of this hospital is worked out with the greatest care as it effects the well-
being and happiness of so many people and is chiefly based on vitamine and
caloric values. The majority of patients are fed a great deal better than in
their own homes. This can be well ascertained from the weight charts of the
patients which show a general increase in weight of the inmates of this
hospital during the year under review.
(7) Psychotherapy by Psychoanalysis.—These are distinctly of service to
border-line ailments but for mental hospital patients they have been dis-
appointing. The majority of old cases are chronic insanes and no suitable
cases were admitted during the year under review for this branch of mental
therapy.
(8) Glandular therapy.—This has been tried in few cases and the result
was disappointing.
(9) Medicine and other treatment.—There is no specific for mental diseases
as quinine is for malaria, yet medicine given judiciously can be of greatest
help and when recovery is in the balance may just turn the scales. The use
of powerful hypnotics is as far as possible restricted and they are replaced by
hydrotherapy.
The main concern of every alienist is to arrive at a correct diagnosis and,
if possible, to remove the cause of illness as insanity is never the result of
a single cause. To this end most modern mental hospitals have now on the
visiting staff specialists in eye, ear, nose, throat, teeth, female diseases and
general surgery and the resident staff have power to call in any other expert
aid for their researches. Hospitals have their own laboratory, X-ray rooms
and operating room. The Indian Mental Hospital often consults the Civil
Surgeon of Ranchi on intricate cases as he is an all-round specialist of the
district, but the absence of a good dentist is keenly felt. The appointment of
a dentist is under the consideration of the Government and it is hoped may be
sanctioned as early as possible. A watch is kept over the latest medical
journals for anything likely favourable to influence in a direct or even
indirect way the course of the malady. Neither expense nor trouble is allowed
to stand in the way of the employment of the latest discoveries if thereby the
patient can be benefited.
23. Sanitation.—One patient had a confluent type of small-pox in Feb-
ruary 1926. Stringent sanitary measures such as vaccination of all patients
and staff, segregation of contacts and disinfection, etc., were immediately
resorted to and thus the spread of the disease was checked. In October 1926,
a sweeper died of cholera in the Sweepers' lines. Similar sanitary measures
were taken and no further cases occurred.
The general sanitation of the hospital and its staff quarters which cover
an area of 30 acres was well maintained throughout the year under review.
24. Congestion of the hospital.—The sanctioned capacity of the hospital
according to the Public Works Department is as follows :—
Male.
1,014
Female.
272
Total.
1,286
The strength of the hospital on the date of writing this report is—
Male.
1,203
Female.
230
Total.
1,433
The above figures indicate an acute congestion in the male section.
Suggestions for the immediate removal of the congestion have been submitted
to Government by the Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals, Bihar and Orissa.