Location and movements of the
corps.
Detachment.
Hospital and its surroundings.
Overcrowding.
Accommodation and defects.
Sickness, mortality, and invalid-
ing.
Principal causes of sickness.
Mortality according to race.
Epidemics.
72
A SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
H. M.’s 9th Regiment N. I.
BARODA.—In medical charge of Surgeon H. P. ROBERTS ; strength 662.
1. The regiment has been stationed at Baroda during the
year.
2. A bi-weekly detachment of 50 men furnish a guard
in the city.
3. At the beginning of the year a bath-room was con-
structed, and fitted with tub, gurrahs, &c.
There has been no over-crowding.
The quarters for the Native medical pupil and 2nd class
hospital establishment are deficient.
4. The total admissions have been 452, deaths in hospi
-tal 2 ; out of hospital 3 ; 36 men were invalided, and 2 were
discharged by courtmartial.
5. The principal causes of sickness were—ague 220,
bronchitis 40, contusion 36, chronic rheumatism 23, conjunc-
tivitis 23, dysentery 12, and boil 12.
The deaths in hospital were from phthisis pulmonalis 2; out of hospital, 1 from ague,
1 from drowning, and 1 from phthisis pulmonalis.
6. In hospital, Hindus 2 ; out of hospital, Hindus 2,
Christian 1.
7. No epidemics.
8. Vaccination has been performed partly by myself and partly by the public vaccina
-tor (in the city of Baroda) : 53 children were vaccinated, and
during the epidemic during the hot months of the year in
Bombay and elsewhere the whole regiment was paraded for examination, and those who ex
-hibited no scars of former vaccination were vaccinated ; 87 men were protected in this way.
Vaccination and re-vaccination.
General health and physique of
the men.
9. The physique of the men is about the average ; but
the last five years in Guzerat seems to have tested their health
considerably.
10. The following observations were made on 130 admissions for intermittent fever
commencing on the 1st June up to the 31st December. The
treatments were principally of five kinds :—1st, by moderate
doses of quinine ; 2nd, by carbolic acid internally ; 3rd, by
eucalyptus globulus ; 4th, by cold baths ; and, 5th, by the expectant method. Of the third and
fourth methods a sufficient number of cases have not already been treated to warrant any
expression of opinion. To render the results as equal as possible, such circumstances as might
have affected the subjects under treatment one way or another, viz., the temperature of the
atmosphere, and diet, were noted, and apparently had no appreciable effect either on rendering
the medicines administered more or less effective. The temperature of the climate durin g
the months of these observations gave the respective averages :—
Months.
Temperature.
Admissions.
Rain.
Inches.
Cents.
June
...
...
...
...
...
8 9°21
2
91
July
...
...
...
...
...
83°27
14
14
August ... ...
...
...
81°30
14
75
September
...
...
... ...
7 9°65
10
43
October
...
81°95
...
...
November
...
...
...
...
...
7 6°68
. . .
. . .
December ...
...
...
...
71°44
...
. . .
The number of admissions only appear to bear out the usual observations of malaria
being more prevalent as moisture is extracted by great heat from the soil. The diets of the
patients were weighed before being cooked, amongst those whose caste would allow this ;
amongst the others the amounts had to be estimated by the eye and former experience.
Amongst the Europeans the diet was according to the hospital scale. In all cases amongst
Natives the amount of food consumed was much lower than the average amount allowed for
a man at rest and in health (Parkes). In the cases of the largest eaters the food alone did
not seem to benefit them, as in some cases the largest diet on one day was followed by the
highest temperature on the succeeding day. The average diet taken from 10 cases at hap-
Treatment of disease when spe-
cial, and special observations.