104
A SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
or of most indifferent quality. During the period the river water is preferably taken and
considered more potable and of better quality, though doubtless liable to considerable sources
of contamination, from the number of towns, villages, and herds of cattle situated or encamp-
ed, at that period, along its fertile banks. The water-supply at Neemuch is chiefly from
wells ; it is generally abundant, (except during seasons of drought, which are rare,) and of
good quality.
Sickness, mortality, and inva-
liding.
12. From the accompanying table will be seen much of
what is required to be given briefly under this head :—
Abstract.
1874.
1875.
1876.
Average strength
. . . . . . . . .
366
361
378
Average daily sick
...
... ...
27.7
24.3
33.2
Sick to strength per cent.
...
...
7.56
6.73
8.78
Admissions...
... ... ...
953
858
1074
Admissions to strength per cent. ...
...
260
237
281.5
Percentage of treated to strength ...
...
263.1
242.38
289.95
Deaths in hospital
...
...
...
......
25
3
Percentage of
deaths to strength ...
...
......
6.93
0.79
deaths to treated ...
...
......
2.86
0 . 2 7
Invalided ...
... ... ...
47
26
21
Percentage of invalided to strength
...
12.8
7.20
5.55
Men recommended change of air on sick leave ...
17
21
8
Percentage of men who obtained sick leave to
strength...
. . . . . . . . .
4.64
5.82
2 . 1 2
From the foregoing abstract it will be seen that the record of sickness for the past
year, with an average strength of only 378 at head-quarters, has furnished a much heavier
list of admissions (1074) than either of the two previous years. The mortality in hospital
was also greater ; and with regard to invaliding (21), though it was less, it must
be remembered that during the two former years while at Mehidpor
e most of the
sickly aged or otherwise “ unfit ” were carefully selected and weeded out of the regiment,
leaving few belonging to the above category, and those comparatively young or middle-aged
men of short service, who were considered unlikely to follow in the way of their pensioned
comrades, as invalids for the next year. The number of invalids (21) for this year was, there
- f o r e , n a t u r a l l y l e s s , 5 . 5 5 p e r c e n t . , a n d a t t h e r a t e o f 1 2 . 8 , 7 . 2 0 , a n d 5 . 5 5 p e r c e n t . o f s t r e n g t h f o r
1874, 75 and 76, respectively. If then the total given of invaliding during the three trying
years the regiment spent at this highly malarious station be added up, it will be seen how ex-
cessive and alarming is the proportion of “ invaliding,” viz., 25½ per cent. to average strength
368 ; and this in a measure irrespective of the baneful after effects (I will say both physical
and moral) produced, on a regiment, by a too protracted residence in such a low-lying,
fever-stricken locality, I do believe that were the troops to remain much longer exposed to,
and quartered in, this hotbed of malaria, with the health of men so long suffering and
p e r s i s t - e n t l y b a d , t h e r e s u l t w o u l d h a v e b e e n m o s t d i s a s t r o u s t o t h e w e l l - b e i n g a n d e f f i c i e n c y o f t h e
regiment, and have led ultimately to much further dangerous sickness and loss of life and
considerable invaliding. As it so happened, the troops fortunately, owing to the earlier
demand for reliefs at Neemuch (the 24th N. I. and 3rd Q. 0. L. Cavalry being en route to
Delhi) were prematurely, as it were, removed to this station—not, however, without losing one
young native commissioned officer from remittent fever, attended for some days with
considerable cerebral disturbance and delirium and towards the end violent intestinal hæ-
morrhage ; also one sepoy suffering from general debility and asthma the sequel of fever, and
another man who succumbed to a bad attack of remittent fever complicated with pneumo
- n i a a n d e x t e n s i v e c a p i l l a r y b r o n c h i t i s i m m e d i a t e l y a f t e r h i s a r r i v a l a t N e e m u c h . T h i s
shows to some extent the deep and, in many cases, fatal grasp malarious disease, persistent
and endemic to this locality, had taken of the troops. It is now much to be feared that
the present general debility, more or less engendered, may lead in many to serious impair
- m e n t o f c o n s t i t u t i o n a n d u l t i m a t e l y l a y e v e n i n c o m p a r a t i v e l y y o u n g m e n o f s h o r t s e r v i c e
the foundations of organic affections of the lungs, liver, spleen, stomach, intestines, &c.,
and thus lead more particularly in a light infantry regiment to considerable future in
- e f f i c i e n c y , s i c k n e s s , o r i n v a l i d i n g . T h e c h a n g e t o N e e m u c h , t h o u g h n o t s u f f i c i e n t i n t h e c a s e
of a regiment so circumstanced, may doubtless to some extent prove salutary ; but it is not
to be expected that troops, deeply sunk and strongly saturated with malarial poison, could