Annual Reports—Lunatic Asylums.
No. 828.
GENERAL DEPARTMENT.
Bombay Castle, 10th March 1881.
Letter from the Surgeon General with the Government of Bombay, No. S.B. -84, dated
25th February 1881—Submitting the Annual Administration and Progress
Report of the Lunatic Asylums in the Bombay Presidency for the year 1880.
RESOLUTION.—Government have again to thank the Surgeon General for
his promptitude in submitting this report which is due on the 1st April, and
was received by Government on the 25th ultimo.
2. No complaints are made this year of want of accommodation at the
different Asylums, though Government are aware that a separate ward for
females is required at Ahmedabad. Some repairs to the Colába Asylum seem
requisite and the attention of the Public Works Department should be requested
to paragraph 1 of Surgeon General Beatty's report and to the memorandum from
the Superintendent of the Colába Asylum which is annexed thereto. The total
asylum population in 1880 numbered 913, as against 841 in the preceding year.
Of this number 764 were males and 149 females. There were 291 admissions
and 39 re-admissions as against 250 and 11 in 1879. The number discharged was
230, of whom 87 were cured and 112 transferred to friends. 37 deaths occurred,
being 31 less than in the previous year, when the mortality was abnormally high.
The percentage of deaths to daily average strength was 6.0 as against 11.7 in
1879. There was, however, an increase from 31.8 per cent. to 38.4 per cent. in
the daily average number of sick. There were 105 criminal lunatics under
restraint, precisely the same number as in the previous year. Of these 42 were
confined for murder, 29 for theft and 11 for causing grievous hurt. It is
desirable that in future the causes leading to insanity should, when practi-
cable, be given in the cases of lunatics confined for crimes of violence. From
statement No. 3 it appears that of the admissions including re-admissions during
the year 142 or 43 percent. were Hindus, 116 or 35 per cent. Christians, and 66
or 20 per cent. Mahomedans. Of the Christians 101 were Europeans, of whom
79 were soldiers.
3. Statement No. 7 annexed to the report shows the alleged causes of
insanity in all the ascertainable cases, which number 440 out of a total of 913.
380 cases are due to physical and 60 to moral causes. The use of intoxicating
liquors and drugs accounts for 198 or 52 per cent. of the former, while of the
latter 46 or 77 per cent. are due to grief. The principal disease affecting the
asylum population during the year of report were fever and diarrhoea. There
were 11 deaths from diarrhœa, 5 from debility, 3 from bronchitis and 3 from
dysentery.
4. The net cost to Government of the Lunatic Asylums during the
year under report was Rs 91,404 or Rs. 150-2-2 per patient, as against
Rs. 86,358 and Rs. 149-2-4 in 1879. The cost per head of patients was as
usual greatest at the Dhárwár Asylum and least at the Hyderabad Asylum.
Government would be glad to have some explanation as to the striking differ-
ences which the expenses of the different asylums show. For instance the
annual cost of each patient in 1880 was Rs. 191-3-4 in Dhárwár, while it was
only Rs. 110-4-6 in Ahmedabad and Rs. 95-4-6 in Hyderabad. The reason
why these diversities should exist is not plain to Government, and in his next report
the Surgeon General is requested to submit a full explanation of them if they