3
The decrease in malaria admissions is satisfactory and is probably due to a daily issue of 6 grains of quinine from April to October in place of 15 grains twice a week on two days running, and also to increased attention being paid to drainage in and around the Asylum.
The decrease in the admissions for tuberculosis in 1917 shows the extent to which overcrowding is responsible for the prevalence of this disease, as the construction of a new barrack and increasing the ventilation of existing ones have reduced the number 0f admissions from 22 in 1916 to 8 in 1917.
The gradual increase in the daily average number of sick is due to tubercular cases, when once admitted to hospital, remaining on the register, and to skin diseases and epileptic cases being shown as admissions to hospital and not as out-door cases.
There were 29 deaths in 1915, 52 in 1916 and 19 in 1917, the percentage of deaths to daily average strength being 8'92, 14f41 and 5*56, respectively, against 20'23 per cent, in 1912, 9'47 per cent, in 1913 and 6'05 per cent, in 1914.
The statement below shows the principal causes of death during the triennium under review :—
1915-
1916.
1917.
Tuberculosis
...
6
n
4
Dysentery
...
...
4
8
2
Pneumonia ... ..,
• •••
• >•
3
2
0
Status Epilepticus
...
...
2
4
2
Exhaustion after mania ...
...
4
5
2
Anorexia due to melancholia
...
•..
0
2
2
Homicide
• •• •
...
1
1
1
Suicide
2
1
0
All other diseases
...
♦ ..
7
15
6
Total
29
52
19
The striking features about the mortality are (1) that deaths from tubercle repre­sented only 25 per cent, of the total deaths during the triennium under report against 50 per cent, in the previous one and (2) that it has been largely dependent upon the accommodation provided. Whenever this was strained the number of deaths in general and from tubercle in particular have always gone up. This is illustrated in the table below:—-
---------
1912.
1913.
1914.
1915.
1916.
1917.
Total accommodation
...
190
336
336
360
356
386
Daily average strength
...
332-25
24275
28115
324-94
36014
341-44
Deaths from tuherole
...
23
14
7
6
14
4
Ratio of deaths per cent, strength.
of daily average
2023
947
605
8-92
14-44
656
There were 5 deaths from accidents, self-inflicted wounds and assaults by others. The ratios of deaths per cent, of average strength amongst the inmates of the bunatic Asylums in the different provinces of India in 1917 were as follows :—
Assam Burma Bengal Madras
United Provinces Central Provinces Bombay
Bihar and Orissa Punja
• ••
5*56
6-78
7-91
9-04
9'27
10'08
10-1
11*68
12-31