6                                         LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN BENGAL.

Admissions from
different districts.

Relative propor-
tions of the sexes.

Table No. 5 appended to the report of each asylum shows the districts from which
the lunatics admitted and re-admitted into each asylum were brought, and the relative
proportion of the castes and sexes, and may be read in conjunction with this statement, which
shows the caste and sex of the admissions into each institution. Females constituted 21.50
per cent. of the admissions of 1871, against 23.6 of 1870 and 20.8 of the five years preced-
ing. Hindoo females again constitute a larger proportion of Hindoo admissions than
Mahomedan, the numbers being respectively 23.76 and 13.97. In England the female
population of asylums generally exceeds the male ; in Bengal, females constitute 22 per cent.
of the number living. No conclusion can be drawn from these figures regarding the com-
parative prevalence of insanity among males and females. It is interesting to note that
females contribute 26 per cent. to the number treated in-door in the hospitals and dispensaries
of Bengal, excluding the Calcutta institutions, where a definite amount of space is assigned
to female patients. The presumption is, that whatever the relative amount of the male and
female population of Bengal, or the relative number of lunatics among males and females,
the people are more loth to send females to asylums, and contrive to manage them at home.

Ages of those
admitted.

10. Ages of those admitted.—This circumstance is brought out in statement No. 5, in
which the events of the year are also shown according to age. These latter will be considered
in their proper place. The statement shows that the greatest number of admissions took place
at the age of 20 to 30; 30 to 40, 40 to 50, 10 to 20, 50 to 60, and 60 to 70, following in order.
These results correspond with those shown in last report, and the same remarks apply to
them. The only difference worthy of notice is, that the proportion of those admitted between
the ages 30 to 40 is higher; the data are however inexact, and will not bear minute comment.