18                    ANNUAL REPORT ON LUNATIC ASYLUMS.

(g.) Recoveries—

Early discovery of the disease leading to early treatment gives the best pros-
pect of recovery. Twenty-two patients were handed over to their friends. Friends
might do a great deal more in the way of taking charge of harmless lunatics, gene-
rally cases of chronic mania or chronic dementia; and the lives of these poor creatures
might thereby be rendered much happier.

(h.) Escapes.—Three patients escaped—one a criminal (under trial for theft),who
obtained a key, opened the padlock of his ward, and climbed the wall of the jail
by means of a plough and bamboo carelessly left about. The other two ordinary
patients escaped during the day from the grounds.

(i.) Sickness and Mortality.—The general health of the patients has been good.
There has been no epidemic disease, though cholera and small-pox prevailed outside.
Precautions were taken against the invasion of these diseases.

There have been 162 admissions into the asylum hospital and 17 deaths.

The principal causes of admissions into hospital were—

Fever.
Diarrhoea.
Dysentery.
Phthisis.
General debility.

The causes of deaths were:—

As may be seen, most of the deaths were due to low wasting diseases to which
insanes, partly from reduced or disordered nerve power, and partly from the
depressing effect (morally and physically) of confinement, are so liable.