8
CHAPTER II.
I had hoped to have obtained all the information I required regarding the
prevalence, &c., of the disease among British troops in the Bombay Presidency
from the records in the office of the Surgeon-General, Her Majesty's Forces, but
as they have been prepared according to the forms laid down by the War Office,
I found that it was not possible to extract from them all the information
I needed, such as the age, total service, period of residence in India and in the
station, &c., of each man admitted into hospital with the disease; whilst the
record of deaths prior to 1877 does not show the date of admission into hospital.
Neither was I able to extract the monthly distribution by corps in stations, as
the weekly returns up to the end of 1880 have, I am informed, been eaten by white-
ants or destroyed. There is also no record to show from what barracks in each
lines at each station cases of enteric fever have been admitted, nor is there any
information available to show what effect sleeping on ground-floors as compared
with upper stories has had on the health of the British soldier, or whether cases
of enteric fever have been more frequently admitted from the one set of rooms
than the other.
I was therefore obliged to apply to the Sanitary Commissioner with the
Government of India for as much information as he could give me, and the tables
with which he has kindly furnished me, although not quite as full or complete as
I had asked for, still contain very valuable information.
Table No. I. has been compiled from tables forwarded by the Statistical
Officer and from those contained in the Annual Reports of the Sanitary
Commissioner with the Government of India.
The aggregate strength of the Army for the 10 years* period is taken from
the -tables showing the strength as it stood on the 1st July of each year. It
differs slightly in this statement from the aggregate strength shown in Table VI.
which has been compiled from the Annual Reports at the close of the year.
TABLE No. I.
Distribution according to Age of the aggregate Strength of the Europoan Army of Bombay
during the ten years 1872 to 1881.
Aggregate Strength on 1st July.
101,938
Under 20.
4,129
20 to 24.
36,645
25 to 29.
32,158
30 to 34.
16.264
35 to 39.
10,443
40 and upwards.
2,299
Causes of Deaths from 1872 to 1881 and Death-rates at different Ages.
Causes of Deaths.
Cholera
Enteric Fever
Other Fevers
Apoplexy
Delirium Tremena
Dysentery and Diarrhoea
Hepatitis
Phthisis Pulmonalia .
Heart Disease ...
All other causes
All Diseases
All Diseases excluding
Cholera
NUMBER OF DEATHS
Under
10
1
...
...
...
1
1
6
10
19
20 to 24.
62
148
46
26
...
43
29
88
4
94
490
428
35 to 29.
39
69
31
42
3
70
57
17
19
119
466
427
30 and
up.
wards.
59
19
31
105
11
66
90
41
60
173
655
596
RATIO PER 1,000 OP STRENGTH
ABOVe STATED.
Under
20.
...
2•42
0•24
...
...
0•24
0•24
1•45
4•60
4•60
20 to 24.
1•69
4•04
1•25
0•71
1•17
0•79
1•04
0•11
2•57
13•37
11•68
A to 29.
1•21
2•15
0•96
1•31
0•09
2•18
1•77
0•53
0•59
3•70
14•49
13•28
30 and
up-
wards.
2•03
0•66
1•07
3•62
0•38
2•28
3•10
1•41
2•07
5•96
22•58
20•55
RATIO OF LIABILITY IK PERCENTAgRS.
Under
20.
26•11
6•82
...
...
7•45
7•97
10•60
8•36
9•18
20 to 24.
34•28
43•58
35•51
12•59
20•78
13•96
32•30
3•66
18•79
24•29
23•31
25 to 29.
24•54
23•19
27•27
23•23
19•15
38•72
31•27
16•46
19•60
27•05
26•33
26•60
30 and
up-
wards.
41•18
7•12
30•40
64•18
80•85
40•50
54•77
43•79.
68•77
43•56
41•02
41•01
Total.
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100