Burma: Census of India 1901 Vol. I - Khamkoo

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REPORT ON THE CENSUS OF BURMA.
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scrupulous enumeration. Though, as I have remarked in an earlier paragraph
of this chapter, I think it possible that some slight portion of the latest falling
off may have been occasioned by omissions in the Abstraction office due to
the overlooking of entries in column 16, I see no reason for refusing to give the
enumerators credit for the exercise of a somewhat keener critical faculty in connection
with the entry of deaf-mutes in the schedule than was displayed at the
census of 1891. In fact, I consider that the figures on the whole are probably a
very fairly accurate picture of the facts as they actually exist. They at any rate
bear no signs of the handiwork of any zealot like the enumerator of 1 881, who included
or attempted to. include in the category of deaf-mutes all infants who were
too young to speak. In this infirmity the males exceed the females to an even
greater extent, it may be noted, at the last than at the preceding enumeration. In
1891 the totals were 2,150 males and 1,754 females ; they are now 1,731 males and
1,1 12 females. It is worthy of remark that, after Bhamo, deaf-mutism is commonest
in those areas of Upper Burma which we have seen suffer most from insanity,
namely, the Chin Hills, Pakokku and the Upper Chindwin district. We may
take it, I think, that a portion of the deaf-mutism existing in the province can be
traced back to the cretinism which has swelled the number of insanes on the
western border. Possibly the high figures for Bhamo (142 males and 100 females
to every hundred thousand of each sex) may be accounted for in somewhat
the same manner. Of Lower Burma districts Northern Arakan has (as would be
expected if the above assumption were correct) the largest proportion of deafmutes.
Here the ratio is 47 and 69 for every hundred thousand of the male and
the female sex respectively, but, as I shall show in a later paragraph, the total
population of this district is so insignificant that it would be dangerous to theorize
on the infirmity figures it has returned. There are rather a large number of deafmutes
in the Northern Shan States, whereas the Southern Shan States are, or
seem to be, comparatively free from this infirmity. The local census reports,
however, tend to throw some discredit on the figures for the latter region.
Mr. Stirling tells us that there was in his charge a tendency to omit the afflicted
generally from the schedules. No doubt it was the discovery of this tendency
and the measures taken to counteract it that have sent up the Northern Shan
States ratio. That deaf-mutism is generally more prevalent in the north than in
the south of the province, I do not doubt. I cannot, however, believe that the
figures for the Southern Shan States are in reality as much lower than those for
the Northern Shan States as the returns would appear to show. In Lower Burma
the difference is, of course, partly due to the large immigrant able-bodied population.
Of indigenous races the Kachins show the highest proportion of deaf-mutes
1 1 males and 8 females in every 10,000 of each sex. This in itself is sufficient to
explain the position Bhamo holds in the list of districts.
156. The only feature of importance in the age-period figures under the head
of deaf-mutism is the comparatively high age at which
ea -mutism yage-per.t.,
the maximum of afflicted is reached. After the first
year of life among the males there is a steady, increase in the totals of deaf and
dumb till after the 15— 20 age-period has been attained. Among the females
the highest figure is reached rather earlier, namely, at the 10— 15 age-period.
Much the same phenomenon presented itself in 1891, when Mr. Eales justly
pointed out that, in the case of a congenital affection like deaf-mutism, the maximum
should of right be found in the earliest quinquennium, and gave as an explanation
for the meagre returns for the early years of life the fact that, with some deaf and
dumb children, it was not till their infancy was over that the existence of their
infirmity was fully established. This cannot, however, be urged when the total is
seen to be still rising during the second and third quinquennia of age. There
certainly would appear to be something amiss in the figures, for it seems hardly
conceiveable that any doubt should exist as to the faculties of a child who has
reached the age of 15. There can be no question, I think, that, in the earlier
age-periods, all who should have been returned as deaf and dumb have not been
shown as such in the schedules. There is, however, no very marked difference
between the returns for the 10— 15 and the 15—20 age-periods in the case of
males, and I doubt whether the number of omissions is anything very great. It