OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
3
Years.
Service.
Strength.
Percentage of Strength.
Present.
Total.
A d m i s s i o n s .
Daily Sick.
All
Deaths.
Invalided for
Discharge. Sick
Leave.
1874 to 1876 ...
Cavalry...
3,054
3,384
73.64
2.45
.70
3.28
1.53
I n f a n t r y . . .
Infantry ... 80,775
87,386
79.63
2.97
1.16
2.97
2.17
1877 ...
Cavalry ...
1,317
1,402
93.21
2.27
1.49
1.99
.92
Infantry ... 26,678
28,770
85.18
2.81
1.41
2.44
1.93
8. Causes of sickness.—These causes,
ranged in the order of their numerical
Year.
Admissions.
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 D i s e a s e .
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 e a s e s .
1877
...
2 7 3 9 4 6
9 0 7 4
1 0 4 4
1 0 3 3
7 0 0
1 0 5 6
1 1 5 6
1 7 1 8
Years.
Percentage of Admissions to Strength
(present).
E r u p t i v e F e v e r s .
Co 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 D i s e a s e 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 e a s e s .
1875 ... .33 2.951 28.09 4.68 3.65 2.41 3.07 2.83 8.35
1876 ...
. 9 0
2.09 30.62 4.13 3.13 2.56 2.88 3.00 7.56
Average.
. 6 1
2.52 29.35 4.40 3.39 2.48 2.97 2.91 7.97
1877 ...
. 9 7
3.38 32.41
3 . 7 2
3 . 6 8
2.50 3.77 4.12 6.13
Causes of
sickness-
f requency, are malarial fever, skin
diseases, dysentery, diarrhœa, rheumatic
affections, diseases of the eye, continued
fever, diseases of the lungs and eruptive
fevers. In this list malarial fevers
occupy the most prominent and eruptive
fevers the least prominent place. Mal-
arial poisoning brings in its train not
only dysentery but also those multiform
affections of the liver, spleen and blood,
which eventuate in anæmia, cachexia,
dropsy and degeneration of tissue. These
diseases are largely preventible by sani-
tary means, and the same remark applies
to the ordinary affections of the eye and
to the ordinary diseases of the skin.
Rheumatic diseases in the Native Army
are largely due to exposure to cold and
wet, to constitutional syphilis and to
defective nutrition ; they are the diseases
moreover most frequently simulated by
malingerers. Diseases of the lungs can
generally be traced at times to hereditary
diathesis, at times to the insanitary
condition of the huts and lines, more especially to damp, to sudden changes in the
weather, to constitutional syphilis, to insufficient nourishment or to malarial
poisoning. They are frequently of an asthenic type.
Years.
Deaths in Hospital.
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 o u s F e v e r s .
R h e u m a t i c D i s e a s e s .
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 .
Dys e nt e r y.
1876
2
5 59
4
33 12 14
1877
1
6 40
1
40 15 14
Years.
Percentage of Mortality to Strength.
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 o u s F e v e r s .
R h e u m a t i c D i s e a s e s .
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 .
1875
... ...
.03 .16 .009
.16 .06 .04
1876
...
. 0 0 7
.01 .21 .01
.11 .04 .05
Average ...
. 0 0 3
.02 .18 .009
.13 .05 .04
1877
... 003 .02 .14 .003
.14 .05 .05
9. Causes of mortality .—The mar-
ginal tables show the total casualties in
hospital debitable to groups of disease
indicated ; they also show the percentage
of mortality to strength, and further
compare the results with the correspond-
ing averages of the preceding two years.
These percentages differ very slightly
within the time specified. If dysentery is
to be regarded as largely due to malaria,
and on this point most Indian Medical
authorities are agreed, it may be safely
said that upwards of 50 per cent. of the
mortality of the Native Army is directly
or indirectly due to that widespread yet
largely remediable morbid influence.
Percentage of mortality
as affecting
the different classes or castes constituting
the Native Army.—The only point of
Causes of
mortality.