95
NORTHERN DIVISION OF THE ARMY.
7. At the regimental bazaar different kinds of grain, indifferent mutton, and indifferent
common variety of vegetables were sold. The demand was little,
and so the supply was very limited. The sepoy preferred, ex--
cept in cases of emergency, to buy his provisions in the sudder bazaar, where he had a greater
variety of them to select from, and greater scope for the exercise of his peculiarly well-de--
veloped faculty of buying them at the cheapest possible rates, totally regardless of their
quality and altogether mindful of their quantity. As obtained from the sudder bazaar, the
food was of good quality, and (except for a period of one or two months; when the famine
in the Decean exercised its injurious influence on the market) could be had moderately
cheap. Vegetables were rather scarce and dear.
8. Most of the cases entered as "contusion " were cases of shoe-bite. In a few cases
they were due to neglect in keeping the boots well greased and
soft; in others to the bad make of the boot; but in most cases I
believe they were due to the necessary amount of friction which the skin in place of the sock
had to bear. Hence, I think nothing short of supplying the sepoy with coarse and cheap
socks and well-made English ammunition boots could prevent the great disability caused by
shoe-bite.
9. There are no gymnasia, reading nor recreation rooms in connection with the regi-
-ment. The officers have been recently thinking of having
some parallel bars put up for the men. They occasionally play
at cricket.
Food, &c.
Clothing.
Exercise, amusement, &c.
Lock-up rooms and cells.
10. There are two cells, and they are in a good sanitary
condition.
1 1 . T h e l e f t h a l f b a t t a l i o n m a r c h e d f r o m I n d o r e t o M h o w , a n d a d e t a c h m e n t o f t w o
companies marched from Mhow to Mehidpore during the year.
Nothing unusual happened on the line of march or otherwise
to call for any remarks.
12. No changes have been made in the hospital buildings during the year, save sundry
repairs to the roof and windows, and whitewashing. The
ventilation was, in fact, too good; so much so, that I was inclined
to attribute not a few intercurrent attacks of lung and bowel complaints that occurred in
cases admitted from other diseases, to the unpleasantly perceptible movement of the cold air
in the wards during the rains and the cold weather; and that I was compelled to remove
the bad cases to an isolated room at the back of the hospital, where alone I could regulate
the temperature and movement of the air to the requirements of the patient. The hospital
assistant's quarters, on the other hand, are defective in ventilation. There was no overcrowd
-ing in hospital; the accommodation was ample, the verandah space being taken into consider--
ation. The dead-house had a sink and a trough added to it, and the floor was made of
asphalte. An impervious leaden or other covering is required for the dead-house table to
prevent its getting impregnated with organic matters by soakage. A separate ward to treat
eye cases, with appliances to darken it, is very much wanted. Filters are very much needed
in hospital, at least for purifying the water wherewith the medicines are made. The cook
-house is kept nice and clean. The hospital latrine is kept clean and well disinfected by
McDougal's powder and carbolic acid, and works well. The water-supply for the hospital was
derived from one of the best regimental wells. The water was brought by bheesties, whose
mussaks were carefully looked after as to their cleanliness.
13. The improvement in the health of the regiment, alluded to by Dr. Heffernan in his
report for 1875, is still kept up, I am happy to say. The aver
-age strength of the corps during the year amounted to 496; the
total number of admissions into hospital is 722; the total number treated is 732; the daily
average of sick is 26.30; the proportion of sick to strength per cent. 5.9; the proportion of
admissions to strength per cent., 145.57; the proportion of treated to strength per cent.,
147.58; the percentage of deaths to strength, .20; the percentage of deaths to treated, .14.
These stand prëeminently as the great cause of sickness and the cachexia resulting there -
from that of invaliding. There were 253 admissions from
ague, 17 from simple continuous fever, and 4 from remit -
tent fever. The year before,— i.e., in 1875—there were 147 from ague, 173 from simple con -
tinued fever, and 1 from remittent fever. Though the total number of fever cases is less in
1876 than in 1875, there is an excess in the year under review of cases of ague, which is very
difficult to account for, unless, indeed, it be that cases like those admitted in 1875 under the
head of simple continued fever were admitted by me under ague. I found in all the cases I
have admitted under this head the rigors and the characteristic recurrence of the fits after the
apyrexial period. The largest number of ague cases occurred in September and October.
Marches.
Hospital.
Sickness, mortality, and invaliding.
Malarious fevers.