110
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Seasonal
phenomena.
Years.
Rate per Cent. of
Average Strength Present.
Average Strength.
Admissions. Daily Sick. All Deaths. Pensioned. Sick Leave.
1874
...
88.94
3.26
1.70
. 5 6
4.91
1875
...
118.15
4.67
1.95
.94
2.92
1876
...
111.38
4.34
1.50
.72
3.96
Average ...
106.15
4.09
1.71
. 7 4
3.93
1877
. . .
114.19
3.58
1.51
. 5 0
4.80
The following corps were serving in this division on the 31st December 1877 :
4th Regiment M.N.I.
6th
do.
do.
15th do.
do.
17th
do.
do.
24th do.
do.
Deputy Surgeon-General H. R. Oswald, M.D., was in medical charge of this
Division and reports as follows :—
Alleged causes of sickness and mortality.
Seasonal phenomena. —The past year has been an exceptional one and has not been
conducive to health. The hot season is said to have been the hottest and most prolonged
that has been known for years. The rains were very late in setting in, and when they did
come proved excessive, flooding the country and destroying the crops over a large area. The
months of October and November were hot and trying, and it was the beginning of December
before any relief was obtained from the high temperature which has characterised the year.
The following data are obtained from the Rangoon Observatory, where the observations
are reliable. The first rainfall occurred on the 18th May and the last on the 15th November.
102.64 inches were registered. Rain fell on 142 days, and on 40 days only no rain fell. The
highest temperature during the year was on the 4th and 10th May, when the thermometer
reached 106.7 in the shade. The highest temperature in the sun's rays was 167.1 on the
8th of June. The lowest temperature was 57.4 on the 18th February.
Necessaries
of life.
Causes of
sickness and
mortality.
Necessaries of life. —Food of all kinds has been plentiful. It is always dear in Burmah,
but last year owing to the famine in Madras, and the consequent large exportations of grain,
prices were excessive.
Causes of sickness and mortality.—Although cholera and small-pox prevailed more or less
in almost every town in the Province, and the former amongst the European troops at Thayetmyo,
the Native troops entirely escaped with the exception of one solitary fatal case of cholera which
occurred in the 24th Regiment N.I. at Rangoon ; the man was a patient in hospital at the
time when he was suddenly attacked and died in a few hours. Every precaution was adopted
in hospital and barracks, and no more cases occurred. The 24th Regiment M.N.I. likewise
brought 4 cases of small-pox from Madras on arrival. The disease was brought on board the
transport by a camp follower at the port of embarkation. These cases were well segregated
in tents, and the rest of the men who had been in contact with them on boardship placed in a
quarantine camp until it was proved they were free from disease. No further cases occurred.
The 24th Regiment has suffered much from sickness since its arrival in Rangoon, dysentery,
ague, and venereal disease with the consequent general debility being the chief causes of
inefficiency. The regiment arrived with a large number of recruits who were not dismissed
their drill for some months ; the duties consequently fell very heavily on the remainder of the
men, and they were not able to obtain the needful amount of rest, the number of nights in bed
having fallen as low as 2 in 3. The large amount of venereal disease in this regiment is a
noticeable feature in the sick list. Much of it was contracted in India previous to embarkation,
but several men have contracted syphilis since arrival. The number of young recruits probably
accounts for this. The health of time regiment steadily improved towards the close of the year.
The detachment of the 15th Regiment M. N. I. at Port Blair and Nancoury has again suffered
a good deal from ague, but it seems of a. mild type as I notice the stay in hospital is generally
for a few days only ; and there has been but little invaliding, only 11. having been sent away on
sick leave against 17 in 1876, and some of these were from the head-quarters at Moulmein.
Repeated attacks, however, have given rise to enlargement of the spleen in a large number of