11

                                          STATEMENT V.

The ages of the majority of the admissions were, as in 1894, between the
ages of 20 and 40 years. One epileptic child, aged about 5—6 years, was
admitted who had been abandoned by her parents.

                                         STATEMENT VI.

Types of insanity.

The following is a summary of the various types of insanity found to
exist amongst the new admissions:—

                                       STATEMENT VII.

Alleged cause of
insanity.

Amongst the admissions for physical causes is one case in which the alleged
cause is said to be the abuse of ganja. In the cases of one male and one female
the direct exciting cause is said to have been epilepsy. In only one solitary
case is heredity alleged as the cause of the insanity. This is in my opinion very
much below the probable reality, e. g., it is a safe conjecture that the majority
of the 5 cases of melancholia admitted during the year had a hereditary pre-
disposition to insanity. In the one case noted above, in which the alleged cause
is said to have been the abuse of ganja, the man admits to having had a
craving during many years for smoking ganja, but he also admits that he has
at various times and places taken considerable quantities of " rasi," " dobara "
and " kapai" (country spirit of various strength); and further, that he had also
frequently eaten and smoked opium. We have therefore possibly here a triple
combination of complex causes helping to complete the overthrow of what was
probably originally a mentally weak-fibred brain.* The very large number of
cases in which no definite cause could be ascertained is noticeable.

                                       STATEMENT VIII.

The year was a much healthier year than its immediate predecessor. The
chief cause of admission was, as in 1894, influenza. The total admissions were
126 (96 males and 30 females), and of these no fewer than 38 (31 males and
7 females) admissions were for influenza.

The following table shows the chief causes of admissions to hospital:—

* From enquiry and observation I have reason to believe that the parents of this man are of weak intellect, so
that the fact of heredity has also to be considered in apportioning the question of causation.