4
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT
years.
Caste.
Strength.
Death
per
Cent.
Average 1875
to 1877.
Hindus
..
16,132
1.32
Mussulmans ..
10,966
1.23
Christians
. .
2,417
1.36
1878 ..
..
Hindus
. .
16,210
1.63
Mussulmans ....
10,894
1.37
Christians
..
2,526
1.26
in 1878 most deaths occurred amongst
Hindus. No reliable inferences can be
drawn from these annual fluctuations,
as there are various disturbing causes,
and as the numbers, in at least one of the
classes, are too few for statistical purposes.
Invaliding
and its causes.
10. Invaliding and its causes. —The subjoined abstract gives information as to
the numbers discharged from the service and granted leave during 1878 on account
of sickness. The chief diseases leading to removal from the army, ranged in the
order of their frequency, were rheumatic affections, diseases of the eye, diseases of
the lungs, malarial fevers, skin diseases, dysentery and diarrhœa. It is curious to
contrast the outcome of malarial fever as a cause of discharge, with its operation as
a cause of sickness and mortality. Owing to the long range of the rifle with which
the force is now armed good eyesight is indispensably necessary, and it may
therefore be expected that eye affections will figure largely in future invaliding
returns. The diseases leading to absence on medical certificate, ranged in the
order of their frequency, were malarial fevers, rheumatism, diseases of the lungs,
dysentery, diarrhœa, skin diseases, eye diseases and continued fevers. The Mysore
Division and British Burmah Division show the largest numbers of absentees on
sick furlough. In the former 40 men of " Queen's Own" Sappers and Miners and 78
of the 28th Regiment at Mercara were granted leave. In British Burmah there were
61 sick men absent from the 24th Regiment and 21 from the 41st Regiment. The
sickness in the 24th was in a great measure owing to the severity of the duty, the
men not getting enough nights in bed, the average being under 3 per week. In the
41st a great many men suffered from beri-beri, which also prevailed to a great extent
last year in the jail and among the civil population. Insufficient nitrogenous food,
or rather the absence of it, was also a fertile source of sickness in these regiments.
Year.
Invalided.
For Discharge the Service.
For Change of Climate.
E r u p t i v e F e v e r s .
C o n t i n u e d F e v e r s .
M a l a r i a l F e v e r s .
R h e u m a t i c A f f e c t i o n s .
Di s e a s e s o f t h e E y e .
D i s e a s e s o f t h e L u n g s .
D i a r r h œ a .
D y s e n t e r y .
S k i n D i s e a s e s . F r o m o t h e r C a u s e s .
E r u p t i v e F e v e r s .
C o n t i n u e d F e v e r s .
M a l a r i a l F e v e r s .
R h e u m a t i c A f f e c t i o n s .
D i s e a s e s o f t h e E y e .
D i s e a s e s o f t h e L u n g s .
D i a r r h œ a .
D y s e n t e r y .
S k i n D i s x a s e s .
F r o m o t h e r C a u s e s .
1878..
..
..
5
33
16
15
1
4
5
812 ..
3 123 43
7
43
18 25 10
222
Rates of
invaliding
t o
strength.
11. Rates of invaliding to strength. —The following table contrasts the
percentages of invalided to strength under the chief diseases in 1878, with the
averages of the corresponding returns for 1876 and 1877.
Years.
Per Cent. of i n v a l i d e d t o S t r e n g t h .
For Discharge the Service.
For Change of Climate.
E r u p t i v e F e v e r s .
C o n t i n u e d F e v e r s .
M a l a r i a l F e v e r s .
R h e u m a t i c A f f e c t i o n s .
D i s e a s e s o f t h e E y e .
D i s e a s e s o f t h e L u n g s .
Di a r r h œa .
D y s e n t e r y .
S k i n D i s e a s e s .
E r u p t i v e F e v e r s .
C o n t i n u e d F e v e r s .
M a l a r i a l F e v e r s .
R h e u m a t i c A f f e c t i o n s .
D i s e a s e s o f t h e E y e .
D i s e a s e s o f t h e L u n g s .
D i a r r h œ a .
D y s e n t e r y .
S k i n D i s x a s e s .
1876
007
.03
.20
.18
.07 .003 .007 .08 .003
.007 .36
.17
. 0 8 .13
.11 .13 .02
1877 .. ..
..
.07
.12
.08
.05 .007 .003 .03 ..
03
.28
.20
. 0 2 .18
.08 .11 .02
Average.. .. .003
.5
.16
.13
.6 .005 .005 .5 .001
.005 .32
.18
. 5 .15
.9 .12 .02
1878 .. ..
..
.01
.11
.05
.05 .003 .01
.01 ..
.01 .44
.15
. 0 2 .15
.06 .09 .03