60
A SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
9. From ague there were 61 admissions, most of them yielding to treatment with cin
-
chonidine, after the usual emetic and purgative on admission.
In 3 cases cinchonidine seemed to have no effect, and I was oblig
-ed to have recourse to quinine. From rheumatism there were 19 admissions, 2 of them being
of the acute form. Only 1 case of primary syphilis and 4 of secondary syphilis were ad
-mitted.
Diseases of the eye .—Of these 16 cases, 1 was for ulcer of the cornea, and 15 were for
conjunctivitis, most of them yielding readily to treatment.
Diseases of the lungs.—From bronchitis there were 12 admissions, 3 of which were of
the acute form. In these 3 cases both the lungs were considerably affected, and I feared they
would terminate fatally; but 2 of them recovered. The case which terminated fatally oc
-curred in a man returning from Hindoostan, whither he had been on furlough. I am surprised
he reached Dharwar, for he had no warm clothing with him; and when I first saw him I felt
assured the case was hopeless, he having acute bronchitis in one lung and pneumonia in the
other. He died the day after he was admitted. One case of phthisis pulmonalis was admit
-ted in a very weak state, and, as I predicted, terminated fatally after a short residence in
hospital.
Diseases of the intestines .—There were 26 admissions—17 being for dysentery, 7 for diar
- r h œ a , a n d 4 f o r c o l i c .
Diseases of the liver.—Of these, hepatitis gave 4, and jaundice 10, admissions. One of
the cases of hepatitis was a very serious one, and has been under treatment since 29th
October. I had no idea this man could possibly recover, but I am glad to say he is now
convalescent.
Diseases of cellular tissue and skin .—Twenty-four cases of disease of the cellular tissue were
admitted; 14 of these were for guinea-worm. This number contrasts most favourably with
the admissions from this disease in 1875, viz., 64, and in 1874, when there were 142 admis
-sions. In my last year's report I expressed a hope that the admissions from the disease
would be considerably decreased, as the whole of the regiment would be able to use the well
-water in the new cantonment. It will be very interesting to observe the admissions from
this disease in the new cantonment of Dharwar during the next few years. Eleven cases of
abscess were admitted; 21 cases of diseases of the cutaneous system were admitted, of which
6 were for psoriasis, 4 for ulcers, 8 for boil, 1 for scabies, and 2 for roseola (annulata).
Injuries.—Thirty-two cases of injury were admitted, 22 being contusions of the lower ex
-tremities, 6 for contusions of the upper extremity, and 1 for an injury to the back, caused
by a fall from the top of a wall of about 15 or 20 feet high.
Principal causes of sickness.
Principal causes of mortality.
10. Two out of the 4 deaths occurred from cholera, 1 from
pneumonic phthisis, and the other from bronchitis. All were
Hindus.
11. The rainfall during the year is the least that has been known in Dharwar during
the past 21 years, only 17 inches and 52 cents
having been registered. Of this quantity 2 inches 87 cents fell in April,
7½ inches in July, and 2 inches and 8 cents in September. In June only 79 cents, and in
August only 77 cents were registered. The average rainfall during the previous 20 years, viz.,
from 1856 to 1875, was 31 inches and 49 cents; the largest quantity registered was in 1874,
viz., 49 inches and 56 cents; the smallest during the same period having occurred in 1865,
when 22 inches and 29 cents were registered. The effect of the small quantity of rain during
last year has been to cause all grain to rise to famine prices. The want of water has been
severely felt already in some parts of the districts. Cholera prevailed to a considerable ex
-tent in some villages, and I should fear we may have a return of it before next monsoon,
unless we get a considerable fall of rain within the next few weeks.
12. There has been 6 cases of epidemic disease during the past year in the regiment.
One case of modified small-pox occurred, the patient being a
sepoy. Two private followers were attacked with small-pox.
In 2 of the cases the throat was affected; with this exception, the disease ran its course
without a bad symptom. Two sepoys were attacked with cholera, both of whom died; one
was attacked in the month of July, the other in the month of December. One woman
was attacked in December, which also terminated fatally.
Influence of rainfall.
Epidemics.
13. Vaccination has been most carefully attended to. There were 49 operations, 33
being males and 16 females; all of them were successful.
Re-vaccination was performed eleven times, the subjects being
recruits, and they were all successful. I can safely say there is not a child, in good health,
in the lines, above the age of 3 months, who is not vaccinated.
Vaccination and re-vaccination.