92
A SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
Ulcer gave 21 admissions ; 18 were cured and 3 remained.
For boil there were 24 admissions : all recovered.
Under this head there were 109 admissions ; 3 remained from last year, making the total
treated 112. Of these 109 returned to duty, 1 was discharged
otherwise, and 2 remain for treatment. Of these 112 injuries
no less than 78 were returned as contusions of the lower extremity,—that is, were cases of foot-
soreness the result of badly-fitting boots. A severe case of injury to the eye was admitted—
a tile fell from the roof of one of the huts upon a man who was in bed inside, and resulted in
a contusion with hæmorrhage into the globe of the left eye ; the final result is almost total
blindness of that eye.
Forty-six men were invalided during the year; they were :—Old age and debility and
worn-out, 21 ; rheumatic affections, 12 ; sciatica, 1 ;imbecility,
1 ; palpitation, 2 ; chronic bronchitis, 4; chronic diarrhœa, 2 ;
ulcers (of leg), 1 ; tumour of chest, 1 ; loss of hearing, 1.
12. Principal causes of sickness :—
Year.
E r u p t i v e f e v e r s .
M a l a r i a l f e v e r s .
s c u r v y .
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 c u t a n e o u s s y s - t e m , i n c l u d i n g b o i l a n d u l c e r .
I n j u r i e s c h i e f l y o f t h e f e e t .
D i a r r h œ a .
D y s e n t r y .
T o t a l a d m i s s i o n s
D a i l y a v e r a g e s i c k .
I n v a l i d e d .
Died.
1876
...
...
...
10 258
5
46
62 109
28
18 697
30.7
46 4
The above table shows the principal cases of admission during the year, the average daily
sick, invaliding, and deaths in hospital.
13. Four men died in hospital during the year. Two
were cases of remittent fever, 1 of scurvy, 1 of valvular disease
of the heart.
Injuries.
Invaliding.
Mortality.
Mortality according to race.
14. Three Hindus and 1 Mussulman.
15. The rainfall was less than the average, the rain gauge in the hospital compound
having registered only 26 inches 46 cents ; it, however, filled the
wells, and the surrounding districts appear to have had a larger
amount than was registered in the station. The influence was not marked by any increase
of disease.
16. The slight appearance of small-pox already noticed, and its existence in the bazaar
in a scarcely epidemic form, is all that occurred during the
year.
17. Has been carried out by the hospital assistant and myself. Primary vaccinations :
42 persons were vaccinated by 44 operations—33 successful, 11
unsuccessful. Re-vaccinations : 14 persons were operated on 16
times—6 successful and 10 unsuccessful.
18. Has been, on the whole, good, though there was some increase in the amount of
sickness over the preceding year. The physique of the men
is good ; the recruits of the year were up to the average ; 1
recruit was rejected, having been found quite unfit by reason
of weakness of the intellect.
19. Under this head I should like to bring forward the results of a tolerably extended
trial of the treatment of intermittent fever by the sulphate of
cinchonidine. From the 29th May to the end of the year 141
cases admitted for ague were treated by the administration of
cinchonidine ; of these cases there were:—
Admitted
,,
,,
once
twice
three times
96
15
5
116
giving
,,
,,
96
30
15
141
admissions
,, ,,
Influence of rainfall.
Epidemics.
Vaccination and re-vaccination.
General health and physique
of the men.
Treatment of disease when spe-
cial.