TRIENNIAL REPORT ON THE LUNATIC ASYLUMS
IN THE
PROVINCE OF EASTERN BENGAL AND ASSAM
FOR THE YEARS
1903, 1904, and 1905.
Introductory.
1. This report is submitted in accordance with the orders contained in Government
of Eastern Bengal and Assam, Judicial Department, letter
No. 2750J., dated the 12th March 1906.
Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. U. Macnamara, I.M.S., was in charge of the lunatic
asylum at Tezpur throughout the whole triennium and Lieutenant-Colonel R. Neil Camp-
bell, I.M.S., in charge of the Dacca asylum, with the exception of three months in 1903,
when Major Walsh, I.M.S., officiated in his place.
GENERAL.
Admissions.
2. On the 1st January 1903 there remained in the Dacca and Tezpur asylums
417 lunatics, and at the end of 1905 the number was 425.
The average strength of 1905 was 429, against 431 in 1904
and 427 in 1903. The total admissions during the triennium were 284, against 271, or,
year by year, 93, 96, and 95, respectively, excluding re-admissions. The largest number
admitted into the Dacca asylum was 65 in 1903 and into the Tezpur asylum 37 in 1905.
Admission at Tezpur steadily increased from 28 to 37, whereas at Dacca it went down
from 65 to 58. The Superintendent of the asylum attributes this decrease to a smaller
number of insanes received from Bakarganj and Sylhet. Towards the end of 1905,
lunatics were not transferred from Sylhet Jail to Dacca owing to the presence of beri-beri
in the former. The percentage of criminal lunatics to the total population on the 31st
December of each year under report was 50.36, 51.06, and 50.59, respectively.
Re-admissions.
The number of re-admissions was 6 in 1903, 15 in 1904, and 10 in 1905, a total of
31, against 19 in the previous triennium, or an increase of 63
per cent. A little less than one-half of these were criminals.
Of the total 31 patients, 23 were re-admitted into the Dacca asylum, of whom 12 were
criminal lunatics, mostly returned to the asylum after trial. At Tezpur there were only 8
re-admissions, of whom 2 were criminals.
Discharges.
Discharges numbered 71 in 1903, 49 in 1904, and 71 in 1905. The decrease in the
year 1904 was due to the transfer of 20 lunatics from the
Dacca to the Berhampur asylum. During the triennium
there were 142 discharges at Dacca and 49 at Tezpur, as against 74 and 36, respectively,
in the previous triennium. Of the total 191 discharges, 86 were discharged cured, 55
were given over to their friends mentally improved, and 6 not improved, 7 were sent to jail,
and 37 were made over to undergo their trial.
Escapes.
There were two escapes at the Dacca and 4 at the Tezpur asylum during the period
under review.
Admissions classified according to—
(a) Criminal and non-criminal
lunatics.
3. Out of the 284 admissions during the three years under review, 115 were criminal
and 169 non-criminal. The number re-admitted was 31, of
whom 14 were criminal and 17 non-criminal. In the pre-
vious triennium the admissions numbered 271—116 criminals
and 155 non-criminals ; with 19 re-admissions, including 5 criminals. The daily average
strength of the criminal lunatics was 206.84 in 1903, 215.46 in 1904, and 214.23 in 1905—
an average of 212.17, against 189.92 in the previous triennium. The number of criminals
admitted into the Dacca asylum was 92, including 12 re-admissions. The corresponding
numbers for Tezpur were 37 and 2. The percentages of criminal lunatics to total
admissions and re-admissions were, respectively, 40.49 and 45.16.