88
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Years.
Stations.
Rate per Cent. of
Average Strength Present.
Average Strength.
Admissions. Daily Sick. All Deaths. Pensioned. Sick Leave.
1875 ..
.. Secunderabad
..
87.38
3.31
1.50
.15
1.95
1876 ..
. .
Do.
..
..
90.97
2.57
2.96
.84
1.41
1877 ..
..
Do.
..
..
47.31
2.38
1.57
3.29
1.00
Average ..
75.22
2.75
2.01
1.42
1.45
1878 ..
.. Secunderabad
..
64.86
3.30
2.19
..
.87
Climate of the
station.
State whethe
r t h e r o o m s a r e such as to be
conducive to
health.
Ventilation
and drainage
of the men's
barrack-
rooms, huts,
&c.
Water-supply.
Sanitary
arrangements
Diet.
Clothing.
Foot-soreness
Duty and
exercises.
Daily amoun
of drill.
Exercises.
Vaccination.
Epidemic
diseases.
Ventilation
of the hospi-
tal.
Drainage.
Hospital
water-suppl3
General
conclusions.
The following officers were in medical charge of this corps during the year :
Surgeon J. G. Collis, M.D.,
Surgeon-Major J. M. Donnelly, M.D.,
the latter of whom reports as follows :—
Climate of the station .—No meteorological phenomena or climatic condition between which
and the state of health of the regiment any connection could be traced was observable.
State whether the rooms are such as to be conducive to health .—The regiment is quartered
in huts as is usual with sepoy troops These buildings are of a very primitive construction, but
practically their architectural and hygienic defects did not appear to exercise much prejudicial
influence upon the health of the inmates, with the exception, perhaps, of rendering them more
obnoxious to malarial fevers than they would have been if living in better houses.
Ventilation and drainage of the men's barrack-rooms, huts, &c .—Satisfactory. Lime-washing
was done twice in the year.
Water-supply.—Water-supply was abundant and of good quality.
Sanitary arrangements .—Sanitary condition on the whole satisfactory, and no preventible
cause of disease observable.
Diet.—Food supplies were very dear and vegetables unusually scarce. Compensation was
allowed to sepoys and authorized followers, but not to their families. The general appearance of
the sepoys is such as indicate the use of a spare diet, sufficient perhaps to just maintain them in
health, but scarcely in that robust and vigorous condition in which a soldier ought always to be
preserved. This is due in some measure to the dearness of provisions, but chiefly to the readiness
with which the sepoy admits the claims upon his purse of poor relatives.
Clothing .—Suitable in all respects.
Foot-soreness.—To no such extent as would necessitate any change in the existing system of
manufacture and supply of boots to the sepoy. The use of stockings would doubtless reduce
even this to a very trifling amount.
Duty and exercises .—Ordinary drills and parades, such as can have no other effect than to
maintain the men in health and vigour. The average nights in bed were 3.
Daily amount of drill.—Two hours, morning from 6 to 7 o'clock, and in the evening from 5
to 6 o'clock. Its effects were clearly to maintain health as well as military efficiency.
Exercises.—None.
Vaccination.—Vaccination has been carefully carried on, and no death took place from small-
pox, nor was there any case of the disease. Seven recruits were successfully vaccinated who
stated that they had been operated on in childhood, but whose marks of the operation were very
doubtful.
Epidemic diseases.—None.
Ventilation of the hospital.—Satisfactory; no overcrowding.
Drainage.—Everything under this heading satisfactory.
Hospital water-supply .—Water-supply furnished by puckallies in good and sufficient
quantity.
General conclusions .—On the whole I think the conditions under which the regiment passed
the year may be regarded as satisfactory. The chief cause of sickness was intermittent fever,
but its source was not less obscure in this station than it has proved to be in many other localities;