7

27. Conservancy and Sanitation.—The general sanitation of
the whole area of the hospital as well as that of the staff lines
was satisfactory throughout the year under review.

28. Methods and treatment of patients—Ever since the
inception of this, the largest and one of the most, modern
Mental Hospitals in India neither expense nor trouble is ever
allowed to stand in the way of the employment of the latest
treatment in the field of Psychological medicine if thereby the
patients can in any way be benefited. In the Reception Wards
of the hospital all newly admitted patients on admission are
subjected to a thorough systematic examination both physical
and psychological, and later they are given the benefit of
whatever special treatment is needed in individual cases.

(i) Occupational Therapy.—The Occupational Therapy
continues to be the sheet anchor of our treatment. The average
number of patients employed in useful tasks was 80 per cent of
the population throughout the year under review. Every effort
is made to provide various occupations for the patients and the
patients are allowed to choose their own occupations and those
who want to learn new crafts are also encouraged. The detailed
list of works carried out in the Occupational Therapy Depart-
ments was fully dealt with in my previous reports and
a repetition is therefore unnecessary.

(ii) Hydrotherapy.—This department was kept busy
throughout the year under review. Eighty-two male and 26
female (total 108) patients were given this treatment during
1939 with gratifying results. The average hours of immersion
per patient were 97.5 hours.

As my pattern of bath tubs is cheap and easy to manipulate
we had many requests from institutions as well as private
individuals to supply them with the plan of this tub and one
of the Institutions even placed an order with us for the tubs.
I therefore make it clear that we do not sell these tubs, but
I have no objection to supply the plan of the tub free of charge
to any one who applies for it as the tub can be easily made
anywhere.

(iii) Drugs.—From the dim past mental patients have
been subjected to various forms of treatment with the object of
creating a shock to their central nervous system ; some of these
methods were no doubt barbarous in the extreme. In more
recent times Shock Treatment has been greatly elaborated.
Insulin, Cardiazol, Triazol, etc., have all had their turn and even
these have had their risks and terrors. However, in the present