OFFICE OF THE SURGEON-GENERAL WITH THE
                                                       GOVERNMENT OF MADRAS,

                                        Madras, the        4th May 1921./10th June 1921.

                                        No. 97-561-A.

From

          MAJOR-GENLG. G. GIFFARD, C.S.I., K.H.S., I.M.S.,
                              SURGEON-GENERAL WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF MADRAS,

To

     THE SECRETARY TO GOVERNMENT,
                    LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT,
                                                                                          MADRAS.

SIR,

I have the honour to submit, for the information of the Government, the
triennial report on the working of the Lunatic Asylums in the Madras Presidency
for the period 1918—20.

2. Population.—The total population of the three asylums in the Presidency,
viz., Madras, Vizagapatam and Calicut, at the beginning of each of the three years
was as follows :—

3. The admissions including re-admissions and observation cases for the
years under review were as follows :—

The total population for the present triennium was 3,647 which is an advance
of 362 over the previous triennium in which the total population was 3,285. The
total number of lunatics confined in all the three asylums at the end of each of
the three years under notice was 2,663 as compared with 2,494 in the preceding
triennial period, i.e., an increase of 169.

4.  Discharges and deaths.—Among the 3,647 inmates treated during the present
triennium 383 were cured, 133 improved and 41 were classed as not improved. In
other words on the total population, 10.5 per cent were cured, 3.65 per cent were
improved. 1.12 per cent not improved, 1.65 were discharged otherwise, 10.01 died
and 73.02 remained. The corresponding figures for the previous triennium were
10.35 cured, 3.74 improved, 0.46 not improved, 2.07 discharged otherwise, 7.46
died and 75.92 remained. A comparison between these figures shows an increase
of 2.6 per cent in the death-rate which was due to the prevalence of influenza in
1918. The daily average strength of the asylums was 2,677.70 as compared with
2,484.04 of the last report, the proportion of female to male lunatics being about
the same, i.e., 1 to 3.

5.  Ages.—The largest number of admissions excluding observation cases was
between the ages of 20 and 40 being 73.18 per cent of the total admissions for
the triennium 1918—20, the next in order was in the age period of 40 to 60 being
17.75 and the smallest number of admissions was among those over 60 years
being 1.69 of the total admissions. In the previous triennium the percentages
were as follows :—between the ages of 20 and 40, 67.23, between 40 and 60, 24.31
and upwards of 60, 8.63.