6
ANNUAL REPORT ON LUNATIC ASYLUMS.
In Vizagapatam the ' dry-earth' system is carried out, the night-soil beino* converted into poudrette in the dry season and buried in trenches in the rains.
In Calicut dry earth is used in the detached latrines, and the flushing system adopted for the night latrines attached to the cells ; the night-soil is utilized as at Vizagapatam. The construction of a latrine for the hospital in the Calicut Asylum has been postponed, though much needed.
(2)  General hygiene of the insanes.—The Superintendents of all three asy­lums have paid particular attention to the bathing, clothing, exercise and food of the insanes.
The Superintendent of the Madras Asylum again lays stress on the need for cementing the walls of some of the rooms.
(3)   Drainage.—The subject of improving the drainage of the Madras Asy­lum is in the hands of the Consulting Architect.
The drainage of the Vizagapatam Asylum is naturally good. In Calicut V-shaped drains run all round the main buildings except the refractory ward ; and here the work was sanctioned but was postponed by Government—vide G- 0., No. 1311, Public, dated 2nd October 1897.
(-1) Water-supply.—The Madras Asylum had an ample supply of water. The Red Hills water was used for all except agricultural purposes. Owing to the failure of the north-east monsoon in 1896 the Vizagapatam Asylum well failed; temporary wells were dug in the bed of a tank, at a distance of -£ mile, and all water for the first eight months of the year was carted and carried by the insanes. At Calicut there was, as usual, a fair supply of good water from June to December ; but from January till the rains set in many of the wells dried up, and water for flushing and gardening purposes had to be brought from a tank some distance from the asylum.
(d) Miscellaneous—
(1) Food and weighments.—Kagi was the staple grain in use in the Madras Asylum, but the Superintendent considers it not so satisfactory as rice, on the ground that the insanes have a tendency to bolt their food in spite of every care, and that ragi diet so bolted is not easily digested.
Cumboo and cholam are the grains in use in the Vizagapatam Asylum, and the Superintendent considers them to be very satisfactory.
Rice is the staple food grain in Calicut. Twenty patients were fed with cholam instead of rice with the following: result:—
Number weighed Do. gained ... Do. lost Do. stationary
20
14
5
1
The following table compares the weighments in the three asylums :—
Of those treated during the year 1897.
Of those admitted during the year.
•S a 2 "-s
be £
tio per >e who
t.
5 £
'.C a
tio per e who onary.
,g
a
a
OS
a o
-a
a & o o
tio per e who t.
Asylums.
te wei on Is 97.
.^ 4)
f a
& 8
and ra f thos weigh
and ra E thos ight.
and ra f thos d stati
'S3 So
CD
O
i -
g a ■a -2
'Sttm •
o> a «
■ 1 to
and ra f thoe weigh
■ a as
<5 ftP
eS 9
bt'co
Number cent, o gained
Number cent, o lost we
Number cent, o remaine
Greatest pounds
Oreatesl pounds
11
13 a
Number cent, o gained
Madras *
53,515
53,092
210 4080 •/,
259 50-39 °/0
45
8-75 0/o
]»1
26
12,166
.12,300 [
55
48-67 °/o
Vizagapatam.........
0,203 i
6,181* f
25
41-67 °/0
30
50 7o
5
8-33 °/0
}»
9
904
1,077 {
11
ioo 7,
Culiout... ......
11,163
10,955 f
57 48-72 %
55 47-01 •/„
5 4-27 7c
J36*
16
2,148
2,300 f
17 73-91 7„
* 39 of the tntal treated (including 10 admitted) have boeu omitted from the calculation, as tliuir weighinout* woro uot uiudo owing to advanced illness ami other causes.