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           ANNUAL REPORT ON LUNATIC ASYLUMS.                         5

Age.

Sex.

Admitted.

Ratio per cent.
to total
admissions.

Under 20 years ... ...

Males... ...

9

7.33

Females... ...

7

20 to 40 years ... ...

Males... ...

108

71.56

Females... ...

48

40 to 60 years ... ...

Males... ...

31

20.64

Females... ...

14

Upwards of 60 years ...

Males... ...

1

0.45

Females... ...

...

Total admissions ...

218

...

11. The proportion of recoveries to total treated for the various forms of
insanity is shown in the following abstract: —

Acute mania ... ... ... ... ... ...

21.42

Chronic do. ... ... ... ... ... ...

10.70

Acute dementia ... ... ... ... ... ...

15.38

Chronic do. ... ... ... ... ... ...

3.33

Melancholia ... ... ... ... ... ...

15.62

12. The proximate causes of insanity are never ascertained in this country
with any great precision. Frequently nothing is known of the friends of the insane
who could give a clear account of their antecedent history. There is no doubt,
however, that the abuse of narcotics is a common cause of insanity. The causes
alleged to have produced insanity have been recorded in the following instances, as
stated :—

Physical causes.

Moral causes. {

Narcotic drugs ... ... ... ...

37

Grief ... ... ... ...

14

Hereditary ... ... ... ...

17

Misfortune... ... ... ...

9

Congenital ... ... ... ...

19

Fear ... ... ... ...

9

Epilepsy ... ... ... ...

19

Family quarrel ... ... ... ...

4

Intemperance... ... ... ...

7

Religion ... ... ... ... ...

6

Starvation... ... ... ...

15

Love and jealousy... ... ... ...

6

Other causes... ... ... ...

8

Domestic trouble... ... ... ...

...

Puerperal... ... ... ...

4

Desertion of husband or wife ...

4

Fever ... ... ... ... ...

4

Infidelity... ... ... ...

1

Concussion... ... ... ...

3

Confinement in jail... ... ...

1

Blow on the head ... ... ... ...

3

Disgrace... ... ... ...

1

Sunstroke... ... ... ...

1

Vicious habits ... ... ... ...

1

Privation... ... ... ...

4

Disappointment... ... ... ...

2

Syphilitic... ... ... ...

1

False belief ... ... ... ...

1

Fall ... ... ... ... ...

1

Over study ... ... ... ...

1

Total ...

144

Total ..

59

13. Mortality.—As already stated, the mortality in the Madras asylums has
been singularly low during the past year. No epidemic disease has appeared in
any of them, and there has been comparatively little bowel disease, which often
proves so fatal in the weakly and delicate. The causes of death are shown
below:—

Causes.

Males.

Females.

Total.

Phthisis pulmonalis... ... ...

2

...

2

Erysipelas... ... ... ... ...

3

...

3

Apoplexy ... ... ... ...

6

1

7

Dysentery ... ... ... ... ...

2

...

2

Diarrhœa ... ... ... ... ...

2

1

3

General debility ...

...

3

3

14. The following table shows the general results for each asylum sepa-
rately :—

                                                               2

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