Report on the Lunatic Asylums in the Bombay Presidency for 1888.
No. 2064.
GENERAL DEPARTMENT.
Bombay Castle, 28th May 1889.
Letter from the Surgeon General with the Government of Bombay, No. S.B.—234, dated 29th
March 1889—Submitting the Annual Administration and Progress Report on the
Lunatic Asylums in the Bombay Presidency for the year 1888.
RESOLUTION.—In the Asylum population the only noticeable fluctuation
was an increase at Ratnágiri from 43 to 56 patients, with a daily average of
54.5. There is still, however, room for many more patients at this Asylum,
while, on the other hand, the Colába, Poona, Ahmedabad and Dhárwár Asylums
appear to have been slightly overcrowded, at times during the year, in either
their male or female wards. The expediency of transferring patients to Ratná-
giri, whenever possible, should be kept in view.
2. As regards the health of the inmates of Asylums the high death-rate at
Cotába is the only point which calls for special notice. The Surgeon General
expresses himself unable to assign any reason for this result, but it would
appear that Surgeon-Major Parker, the Medical Officer in charge, is of opinion
that a greater number than usual of debilitated patients was admitted. The
Governor in Council observes moreover that the increase in deaths, as compared
with the previous year's figures was almost entirely under the heads, "cholera"
and the closely connected disease, "diarrhœa," and he is aware that cholera pre-
vailed in the City of Bombay throughout the year under review and to a greater
extent than in 1887. The water-supply of this Asylum is still unsatisfactory
The Surgeon General should be asked to report exactly how the case stands and
whether he can suggest any measures for the improvement of the supply.
3. In accordance with the orders in Government Resolution (General
Department), No. 4118 of 22nd November 1888,
new classification of the
causes of insanity has now been adopted. A comparison of Statement VII in
this report with the similar statement in the report for 1887, shows that in the
latter a large number of cases of insanity was attributed to "Gánja" smoking
for which the cause now assigned is the use of Bháng. The use of the latter
drug accounts for 55 cases, almost all in Hyderabad, and to the use of the former
were due 86 cases chiefly in the Colába and Ahmedabad Asylums. In 51 cases,
of which 40 were treated at Colába, insanity was attributed to excessive spirit
drinking. As usual however the causes could be traced in only a comparatively
small proportion of the cases under treatment.
4. The remaining statistics of insanity have been concisely summarized
by the Surgeon General and detailed reference to them is unnecessary. The
financial results however call for some notice. The figures, Rs. 1,09,659, showing
total net cost of the Asylums given in the table on page 3 of the report are on the
whole fairly satisfactory, but it is not at all clear how they have been obtained,
and the Surgeon General should be asked if they are correct. Moreover, in view
of the necessity that now exists for carefully scrutinizing expenditure on Lunatic
Asylums it would have been an advantage if the Financial Statement No. IX,
though apparently prepared in the usual form, had been further explained in the
report. It is not understood for example how the expenditure shown in
columns 15—21 "as expenditure on diet, clothing, &c., from the Manufactures
Department" was met, as no money was drawn from the Treasury on this account,
and there was no obvious means of debiting this expenditure to the receipts
—which, however, it is observed, were exactly the same in amount,—given in
column 4 under the head of articles manufactured in the Asylums for use therein.
This should be explained.
B 1399