employment in the service of Government, Local Bodies or Native States and 2 are engaged in private practice. Out of the 49 graduates who have passed out of the College in the last three years, 25 are in the service of Government or Local Bodies, 17 are in the service of Native States, 4 are engaged in private practice and 3 have died. CHEMICAL ANALYSERS The work of the Chemical Analysers to Government in Bombay and Sind is connected with the protection of the public either by the examination of data relating to crime or suspected crime or by the examination of food-stuffs, water, etc. The medico-legal cases investigated during the year in Bombay totalled 663, of which 304 were cases of suspected human poisoning. Of the 150 cases of human poisoning in which poison was detected 159 persons were poisoned, of whom 83 died. In the Laboratory at Karachi 176 medico-legal cases were investigated, 47 of them being cases of suspected human poisoning. The examination of stains for blood or other evidences of crime is also an important part of the work of the Chemical Analysers. WILD ANIMALS AND VENOMOUS SNAKES The number of persons reported killed during the year by wild animals was 51 against 71 the previous year. The mortality caused by snake-bite decreased from 1,378 in the previous year to 1,315, of which Ratnagiri alone was responsible for 285 deaths, Thana, Thar and Parkar, Ahmedabad and Nawabshah coming next in order. The total human mortality shows a net decline of 83. While the number of wild animals destroyed during the year fell from 7,572 to 6,774, the number of snakes destroyed rose from 20,372 in the previous year to 23,484 of which Ratnagiri and Thar and Parkar were responsible for the destruction of 12,072 and 6,531 snakes respectively. The amount of rewards paid during the year was only Rs. 341-7-0 as against Rs. 5,095-1-0 the previous year, as owing to financial stringency the payment of rewards was stopped during the year. Tigers were responsible for twelve deaths, nine of them in Satara; elephants for one death (in Dangs); leopards and panthers for six, four of them being in West Khandesh. No death was reported from the Panch Mahals either from wild animals or from snake-bite. MENTAL HOSPITALS There are six Mental Hospitals in the Presidency, and the number of patients treated in them was 1,905, a decrease of 33 over the previous year, the number of admissions being 445, 244 are Criminal Insanes. Of the total treated 267 were cured and 95 transferred to the care of friends. Of the persons admitted during the year, 26 were Europeans and Eurasians, 33 Indian Christians, 259 Hindus and 126 Mahomedans. Labourers formed the largest number of admissions followed by cultivators, clerks, merchants and traders, mendicants, artisans, Government servants and sepoys and peons. The great majority of them were between 20 and 40 years of age. In those cases where the causes of insanity could be ascertained the abuse of intoxicants was the chief cause of lunacy; mental instability, mental stress and toxic diseases coming next in order. The net expenditure on the Hospitals amounted to nearly 42 lakhs. ACWORTH LEPER ASYLUM, MATUNGA The Acworth Leper Asylum was founded in the year 1890 by H. A. Acworth, Esq., C.I.E., I.C.S., who was then the Municipal Commissioner for the City of Bombay, from public donations, and provides accommodation for the segregation of pauper Indian lepers. It is in charge of a Resident Superintendent who works under the orders of the Board of Management consisting of 20 members, of whom 3 are appointed by Government, 5 by the Municipal Corporation of Bombay and 12 are co-opted annually. The cost of maintaining lepers who are not residents of Bombay is borne by Government, and that of Bombay lepers by the Municipality. The other sources of income are the garden and the sewage farm and occasional subscriptions. |