The Daily News TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1904. LUNACY INCREASING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 213, 13 September 1904, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1904. LUNACY INCREASING.

From the report of tho InspectorGeneral of Lunatic Asylums, laid upon the table of the House last week it appears that lunacy still continues to increase. Wo tjuoto from a summary ot the report appearing it the New Zealand Herald Tho number of registered insane persons oc December 31st last was 2959, of whom 1771 were males and 1188 females, the increase for the year being 56 males and 55 females'. Of j the male population of tho colony one in every 251 is insane, and ono female in every 334, the average beiag one in every 284. The percentage of deaths in the asylums for the year was 96, slightlj less than last year. The percentage of recoveries on tho admissions wm 42.17, compared with 43.01 in the previous tyear. The total cost per patient for tho year ranges from £34 18s at Nelson to £24 4s at Auckland the average being £3O, while the cost less receipts is only £l7 at Auckland, and ranges up to £29 10s al Nelson, the average being £22. Auckland asylum was, at the end ol the year, overcrowded to tho extent ol 83 patients, Christchurch 19, Seaclifl 71, and Wellington 19 ; but since then 79 inew beds had been provided at Auckland, 50 at Porirua, and 52 at Sunny side, and when the additions to -tShe other asylums arc finished there would be new accom modation for 357 patients, compar ed with the and of the year. The extra accommodation, says the In-spector-General, will make it possible t« admit voluntary patients who wish privacy, and to avoid Contact with insane persons. Dr. MacGregor urges the necessity of regular teaching for attendants and nurses, and he suggests that the system of staffing asylums mainly with female nurses for botih men and woniei: patients is likely to spre a d to Now Zealand. On -the question of the increase of insanity Dr. MacGregoi says : —"ln 1870 tho proportion pet 1000 was 1.97, whereas last year it was 3.53. Tho proportion of discharges and deaths of the patients treated in our asylums was, in 1878 23.33, and last year this had sunk to 16.39. I need not say that there is no more complex social problem than the question of an albsolute increase of insanity in proportion tc population, especially in a new country like this. We started with a select population, amongst which there were very few old people. All, or an immense proportion, were i n the primo of life, and had undergone such a and selection as was involved in immigration to begin with, and the numerous gold rushes afterwards. Since then our people have been steadily aging l - The first element that, in my opinion, must havo the greatest weight attached to it is the steady accumulation of chronic cases in our asylums, where safe keeping, good feeding, and suitable clothing has preserved tho aged in a far higher degree than would have t*>en the case even if they had been free men and women. It is impossible to say what proportion of our diminished deaths and discharges this cause -accounts for. It is certain, however, that the increasing age ol the persona admitted is largely responsible for the fact that in 1878 17.03 of the patients in the asylum were over 50 years of age, and that last year by a steady progression through all the intervening years the number of persons over 50 years of age was 39.07. The percentage t>f admissions of patients over 50 years of ago was 13.26 in 1878, and haa steadily increased to 31.27 in 1903. This it is that causes our discharges by death and recovery to ba what they are. Another very important element in the case has been that ior many years there lias been a constant strugglo on the part of -those local (bodies who are in chargo of charitable aid to (get rid of persons suffering from senile do-

cay, whose faculties are enfeebled, and who are often very tnouj()iesome, ajid to cast the maintenance and care of such people on the asylum authorities. In fact this has long raluced itself merely to a struggle between the represuntat'ives ol tho local ratepayers and the defenders of tho consolidated revenue."