LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN BENGAL.                                              19

Varieties of in-
sanity.

29. Types of Insanity.—Superintendents have been instructed, from time to time, to
re-diagnose cases, and enter those remaining in the asylum according to the well-marked
changes which their insanity may undergo from time to time. Statement No. 9 may be
accepted as an accurate representation of the actual state of insanity of the inmates of asylums
during the year, and not the variety of insanity under which they labored on their admission.
It will be observed, that while, of the admissions of the year, 53 per cent. were registered under
one or other of the forms of acute insanity (against 55.2 in 1871), only 22 of the remaining
manifested an acute type of insanity. Of the whole number treated, 34.1 per cent. manifested
acute forms of insanity, and 65.9 chronic. The proportion of acute insanity was rather less
among females than among males. The ratio of recovery and improvement is much higher
in acute than in chronic insanity. The death-rate is highest in acute dementia; melancholia,
acute mania, chronic dementia and chronic mania following. The absence of general
paralysis, which is a very common disease in the asylums of Europe, is again remarkable.
It will be observed that Dr. Coates returns those criminal lunatics who have become sane,
but are still retained in the asylum, under a heading of " not insane."