CH. XII.] REPORT OF THE INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION, 1893-94. 245

and one was rejected because it has been entered a second time on the state-
ment:—

Duration of residence
in asylum.

15 to 20
years.

21 to 25
years.

26 to 30
years.

31 to 35
years.

36 to 40
years.

41 to 45
years.

46 to 50
years.

51 to 55
years.

Over
60.

Age un-
known.

Not insane on
admission.

1

1

1

1

One month and
under.

1

1

1

Not exceeding 3
months.

2

1

1

2

Not exceeding 6
months.

3

5

4

2

Not exceeding 12
months.

5

2

3

1

1

Not exceeding 18
months.

1

1

1

Not cured

2

11

19

17

8

3

1

3

Died

3

4

2

2

1

1

2

Proportion of recoveries.

531. The proportion of recoveries calculated on the 98 accepted cases would

amount to 61.2 per cent., or, deducting from both
sides the 10 patients who were not insane on ad-
mission, to 56.8 per cent. Calculated in the same manner, the percentage of
recoveries of the rejected cases would be 34.7 and 32.4.

Mortality.

532. Calculated on the accepted cases, the mortality amounted to 9.1 per
cent. In no single case, however, was the death due
directly to the mental condition. The mortality in
the rejected cases amounted to 12.3 per cent. on the total admissions. There is
one fact which vitiates the figures in connection with mortality in asylums—
that is, the practice which exists at all events in the Tezpur Asylum, Assam,
of transferring dying patients to the "Moribund Ward" of the Charitable
Dispensary for medical treatment.

Symptomatology.

533. The Commission would premise the analysis of the symptoms presented
by the accepted cases by remarking that the infor-
mation available is extremely meagre. As a rule
the asylum records fail to afford a full clinical history of the condition of the
patients on first admission, and the subsequent entries in the asylum case
books are also frequently lacking in useful information. In one asylum no case
book appeared to have been kept up in 1892. The medical certificates on
which the patients are admitted into the asylums usually contain only sufficient
evidence of the mental state to support an opinion as to the mere fact of insanity.
The descriptive rolls are the only source in the vast majority of cases from which
the mode of incidence and duration of attack, the habits, and the personal and
family history of the patients can be ascertained. The value to be placed on
certain entries in the descriptive roll has already been fully discussed. They
have been shown to be untrustworthy, and there is no reason to suppose that
other entries are more accurate or reliable.

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