OFFICE OF SURGEON-GENERAL
                                       WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF MADRAS,
                                           FORT ST. GEORGE, 7th July 1885.

                            No. 279.

From

            M. C. FURNELL, ESQ., M.D., F.R.C.S.,
                                  Surgeon-General with the Government of Madras,

To

            THE HONORABLE E. F. WEBSTER,
                                                  Chief Secretary to Government,
                                                                                  Judicial Department.

SIR,

I HAVE the honor to submit, for the information of the Right Honorable the
Governor in Council, the reports on the Lunatic Asylums in the Madras Presidency
for the official year ending 31st March 1885.

2.  ACCOMMODATION.—I have only to repeat what has been stated in the past
year's report, that demand for asylum accommodation is steadily on the increase.
Applications for admission had to be refused in many instances for want of accom-
modation. Although Government have, in their order No. 2876, P. W., of 18th
November 1884, sanctioned an enlargement of the accommodation at Calicut, the
work has not as yet been commenced by the Public Works Department.

3.  GENERAL RESULTS.—There were 493 lunatics of all classes remaining in
the three asylums on 31st March 1884; 214 were admitted during the year under
review, and the total number of all classes treated was 707. Out of these, 91
were discharged cured, 33 were transferred to the care of friends, 8 were dis-
charged otherwise, and 35 died, leaving 544 under treatment at the end of the
year, or 51 more than the number remaining in the previous year.

4.  The civil and criminal classes of lunatics have both shown a tendency to
increase. The three asylums accommodate nearly 600 patients. As stated in
paragraph 2, additional accommodation has been sanctioned by Government for
the Calicut asylum. A ward for 12 patients and 6 single rooms have also been
sanctioned for the asylum at Madras.

5.  The daily average of lunatics present in the asylums during the year under
report was 521 against 475 in the preceding year.

6.  There has been a slight fall in the proportion of recoveries to admissions
as compared with the results of the past year, with a corresponding increase in the
rate of mortality; but taking into consideration the proportions of former years,
the results of the year under review may still be said to be very satisfactory.