Sessional_Paper_1906 — Page 454

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Annexe D.

REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE GOVERNMENT LUNATIC ASYLUMS.

ADMISSIONS.

On reference to Table I it will be seen that the admissions numbered 160—118 being males and 42 females. This number is very slightly below that of the previous year-166, and practically the number has been constant for the past three years.

The following are the admissions for the past 7 years:-

1899,

1900,

1901.

1902,

1903,

1904, 1905,

78

.109

90

.120

155

..166

160

The total number, of cases under treatment during the year amounted to 177, of whom 148 were discharged on recovery or repatriated, and 7 died, leaving a total of 22 cases under treatment on the last day of the

year.

Owing to the system of repatriation in force it is extremely difficult to calculate the recovery-rate in figures, as we unfortunately are unable to keep the native patients under observation for any length of time. It is, however, as well as one can make out, somewhat low.

NATURE OF DISEASES.

These were of the usual nature. The more acute diseases, namely, those which usually give greater hopes of recovery, such as acute mania and acute melancholia are few in number. The cases of acute mania, with the exception of one, singularly enough, occurred. among the Chinese, whose mentality is equilibrated on a very stable and stolid basis. This variety of mental disease is generally caused by, or at any rate, accompanies the rush and turmoil of existence when the senses have to be keen and the emotions are highly strung and the intellectuality is sharpened. Evidence of this is seen in the admission returus of the mental institutions in Western countries. With the well-known mental characteristics of the average Chinese, however, especially their strong will-power and self control, we do not expect these acute inental disorders. Rather, they drift, when the mind becomes affected and unhinged into chronic conditions of alienation, such as chronic mania and melancholia and dementia--such states as seem scarcely ever to readjust themselves or even to approach the normal.

Fourteen cases were admitted suffering from delusional insanity a condition, that is to say, where the patient retains strong active and fixed delusions, but is free from ananifestations of mania or melancholia. Sometimes, as in one case here, this may pass into a condition of acute delirious mania, but on the other hand, and perhaps more usually, it terminates in a condition of dementia.

Epilepsy does not seem common among the Chinese, only one case occurring among them to two among Europeans.

Cases of alcoholic insanity bulk largely among the admissions; these I will refer to in the next paragraph.

On reference to Table II it will be seen that 33 males and 1 female were admitted suffering from alcoholism, that is, froin the direct resu't of the abuse of alcohol-a percentage of 28 among the males on the number of mental cases admitted. Apart from these cases I was able to trace clearly, in many of the cases of chronic mania, melancholia.