136
A SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
parts near the town were stagnant and stinking. It was here on the 9th that the first case
of cholera occurred in the person of Captain Scott's bheestie. In the course of the night a
sepoy of the 30th N. I. also died of the disease as the troops were marching out of camp
for Hajee Kesher. On our arrival at Hajee Kesher, on the 10th, it was found that several of
the men were sick with cholera, and Surgeon MacRury, in conjunction with Captain Humfrey,
took the necessary steps for their isolation. A tent was pitched well in rear of the camp,
and this was rapidly filled with patients. We decided as to the plan of treatment to be
adopted, and this we endeavoured to carry out as effectively as circumstances admitted of
throughout the outbreak.
4. By the evening of the 10th a large number of admissions had taken place, and the
question had to be decided whether the troops should march or not ; the only objection to
marching being the difficulty of transport of the sick, whilst for marching there were the
following weighty considerations :— cholera had been in Hajee Kesher some time previously,
the water-supply was limited and derived from pools as at Bagh, the heat was very great,
rising to 103° in a good hill tent ; by two forced marches the troops could reach the Kirta
plain, more than 1,000 feet above sea level, where there is a plentiful supply of running water ;
further, the political object of the mission required that Major Sandeman should reach
Kirta as soon as possible. We, therefore, decided that the course most likely, on the whole,
to benefit the troops was to march, and this view we communicated to Major Sandeman and
Captain Humfrey. Major Sandeman did every thing possible to provide carriage for the sick ;
as many charpoys and coolies as could be obtained from the village were sent by the Khan's
officials, but before the troops started, so many more cases had occurred that it was found
impossible to bring on the sick. Every arrangement was made for their comfort by Major
Sandeman, and they were left behind in a tent and under trees in charge of 3rd Class Hos-
pital Assistant Yenkut Ram, 3rd Sind Horse. It was fortunate that the regimental carriage
was free to pick up the numerous cases that fell out on the march. On arrival at Pir, after a
long and difficult march of 22 miles, a cholera hospital was established, and before the troops
could march for Kirta at 10 P.M., 40 cases had occurred, and it was impossible to move them.
Surgeon Duke was, therefore, left in charge of them, whilst Surgeon MacRury proceeded with
the escort up the Pass to Kirta.
5. It should be mentioned that a violent dust storm commenced just before the arrival
of the troops at Pir, and continued without intermission for two days and two nights. The
march to Kirta was a very trying one, as it lay along the stony bed of the Bolan river, the
distance being 22 miles. The strong wind depressed the men very much, and in consequence
of it they had been unable to cook their food on the previous day, and it is not, therefore,
surprising that they were much fatigued on arrival at Kirta. The benefit of the change
from the hot Cutchee plain to the higher level of the Pass was immediately apparent, as there
were only 15 admissions on the 12th. On the 13th there were but 10, and from this date till.
the 19th, when there were none, the admissions gradually decreased in number, and the type
of the disease seemed to become less virulent. The usual precautious for the isolation of the
sick were also adopted here and arranements were made for bringing up the sick from
Hajee Kesher and Pir. On the 19th the greater portion of these arrived, and on the 20th
the force marched to Abgoom, 21 miles higher up the Pass and about 3,600 feet above the level
of the sea. The admissions and deaths from 9th to 19th April were as follows :—
Corps.
Total Number
of admissions.
Total Number
of deaths.
S t r e n g t h .
4th Punjab Cavalry ...
'
Fighting men ...
11
6
102
Followers
...
3
3
129
3 rd Sin d Horse ... ...
Fighting men ...
2 5
8
241
Followers
...
22
11
2 4 9
Mountain Train
...
Fighting men ...
9
5
58
Followers
...
......
......
19
4th Sick Infantry ...
'''
Fighting men ...
18
6
282
F o l l o w e r s . . .
4
3
9 5
30th N. I, or Jacob's Rifles
...
Fighting men ...
33
21
225
Followers
...
9
4
84
Punjab Police ...
...
...
...
3
1
21
Total......
137
68
1,505
6. There is no doubt that cholera has been prevalent in Cutch for some months past, if not
for years, and a disease resembling it prevailed in the frontier districts in the cold season, the
nature of which Surgeon Banks, 1st Sind Horse, was deputed to investigate, and, no doubt,
the fullest information regarding it will be found in this report. Subsequently we obtained