4
Statement No. VII gives the alleged causes of insanity among the
lunatics. Of the 1,029 insanes confined in the asylums, a cause is given in 486
and is unknown in 543. Of the known causes, 379 are attributed to physical
and 107 to moral causes. Of the former, the use of intoxicating drugs and
abuse of spirits accounted for 150 cases, previous attacks 49, epilepsy 38, here-
ditary causes 33, fever 26, congenital disease 18, masturbation 15, injury to head
and destitution 12 each, child-birth 7, sexual excess 6, syphilis 5, sun-stroke 4,
climate 3 and uterine disorder 1.
The following are the causes, as far as they can be ascertained, leading to
insanity in persons charged with crimes of violence :—
Gánja smoking ...
Spirit drinking ... ...
Fever ... ...
Puerperal fever ...
Epilepsy ... ...
Injury to head ... ...
Hereditary ... ...
12
1
2
1
9
1
3
Grief ... ...
Religion ... ...
Anger ... ...
Anxiety ... ...
Previous attacks ...
Masturbation ... ...
2
1
1
2
2
1
No cause could be given in 47 cases.
Statement No. VIII is a return of sick insanes treated in the asylum
hospitals for diseases other than insanity. On 1st January 1897 there remained
39 patients under treatment, and 522 were admitted, giving a total of 561 as
compared with 551 in the previous year. Of these, 422 were cured, 19 dis-
charged otherwise (17 made over to the care of their friends, 1 relieved and in
1 case the disease was changed), and 81 died, leaving 39 at the end of the year
on the sick roll. The daily average sick was 49.0 (males 38.9 and females 10.1)
against 47.2 (males 34.7 and females 12.5) in 1896. Malarial fevers, dysentery,
debility, diarrhœa, bronchitis and chronic phthisis were the chief causes of
admissions. Malarial fevers of intermittent type were rife mostly during the
monsoon and a few cases during the cold season. Quinine, cinchona alkaloids
and cinchonidinæ sulphas are freely used during these seasons, and quinine and
ferruginous preparations usually given with advantage to those who are debili-
tated and anæmic. Of the 81 deaths, dysentery is credited with 22, phthisis
chronic 12, Bright's disease 7, anærnia, paralysis and debility 5 each, old age,
diarrhœa and albuminuria 4 each, epilepsy 3, choleraic diarrhœa and fatty
degeneration of heart 2 each, and erysipelas, scurvy, apoplexy, pneumonia, dropsy
and splenitis 1 each.
The following table gives the ratio of deaths per mille of the average daily
strength and the total population of each of the asylums as compared with that
of the previous year :—
Colába
...
...
...
Ratnágiri ... ...
Poona
...
...
...
Dhárwár ... ... ...
Ahmedabad ... ...
Hyderabad (Sir Cowasji
Jehángir).
Total
...
1897 ...
1896 ...
1897 ...
1896 ...
1897 ...
1896 ...
1897 ...
1896 ...
1897 ...
1896 ...
1897 ...
1896 ...
1897 ...
1896 ...
Average
Daily
Strength.
285.1
274.8
98.7
94.9
99.8
94.0
61.8
49.4
109.3
103.8
110.0
106.5
764.7
723.4
Total
Popula-
tion.
441
432
110
111
141
145
70
56
120
117
147
145
1,029
1,006
Number
of
deaths.
48
51
5
4
12
9
6
4
2
5
8
5
81
78
Ratio of deaths per mille to
Average Daily
Strength.
168.4
185.6
50.7
42.1
120.2
95.7
97.1
81.0
18.3
48.2
72.7
46.9
105.9
107.8
Total
Population.
108.8
118.1
45.5
36.0
85.1
62.1
85.7
71.4
16.7
42.7
54.4
34.5
78.7
77.5