Diseases of the spleen.
Eight admissions.
Guineaworm.
NORTHERN DIVISION OF THE ARMY.
97
Three cases of splenitis; 1 was invalided and 2 were dis- charged.
All were Deccan Mahrattas, some of whom had recently been to the
Deccan on leave, where they contracted the disease and brought
it here.
Seventy-nine cases of contusion, of which most were from shoe-bite; I case of sprain of
the shoulder-joint; 6 cases of sprain of the knee; 2 punishment
cases; 1 synovitis; and 1 periostitis. All discharged cured,
except 2 cases of shoe-bite which are now in hospital. Five cases of injuries from thorns
were cured. Burns and scalds furnished 5 cases, all cured.
Injuries.
Mortality.
One death occurred in hospital, 1 in the lines, and 2 out
of Mhow in cases sent on sick leave.—( Vide 15.)
Thirty-two were sent before the annual invaliding board; all were invalided. The in
-
validing was principally caused by chronic bronchitis, and the
results of malarious fevers. Two were discharged the service
1 for deafness and 1 for rheumatism, the shortness of their services not entitling them to
a pension. Eighteen were granted sick leave.
1 4 . M a l a r i o u s f e v e r a n d b r o n c h i t i s b e i n g t h e p r e v a i l i n g d i s e a s e s , t h e i r p r i n c i p a l c a u s e s
were, malaria and cold acting on under-fed, badly-housed, over
-heated, and over-exhausted (as in the cases of tile-turning and
lines-repairing), and, lastly, badly-clothed men.
15. The only death that occurred in hospital was caused by remittent fever com
-
plicated with bronchitis. Three deaths occurred out of hos
-
pital, 2 of which were in men sent out on sick leave convales
-cent—1 from remittent fever and the other from bronchitis, and the third occurred in the
lines from suicide. This man, without any known motives, shot himself dead with his rifle.
The bullet entered the abdomen at the epigastric region, wounded the liver, the left lung and
the diaphragm, bruised the stomach and intestines, comminuted the spine from the 12th dor
-sal to the 3rd lumbar vertebra, and after filling the abdominal cavity with blood, and push
-ing the numerous loose fragments of the fractured spine before it, lodged finally between the
skin on the back and the spine in the midst of a considerable extravasation of blood.
Invaliding.
Principal causes of sickness.
Principal causes of mortality.
Mortality according to race.
16. The hospital case was a Hindu (Thakore and Chha
-tree). The suicide case was a Mahomedan. The rest were
Konkani Mahrattas.
1 7 . T h e t o t a l r a i n f a l l w a s l e s s d u r i n g t h e y e a r t h a n i n 1 8 7 5 . I n S e p t e m b e r i t w a s
the heaviest, and the largest number of admissions from ague
occurred in that month. In January, February, and March and
in December, the ague cases were very few. Cases of bronchitis also increased during the
rains. During the continuous fall of nineteen days after the break in August there were 27
admissions from fever; whilst during the break there were only 11. Diarrhœa amongst the
children increased in July and August.
18. I am happy to say there was not one case of cholera during the year. There were
some cases on the Indore and Oojin line during the rains; but
happily no cases occurred in Mhow, at least none amongst the
troops. There were 3 cases of small-pox admitted during the year, of which 1 was discharg
-ed cured, and the other 2 are now quite well, but are detained in the contagious ward
because they are not yet free from infection. The first case occurred in a sepoy's wife who
seems to have caught it at Khandwa, where she was exposed to the infection, and from
whence she had recently arrived in Mhow. When admitted into the lines she was free from
any sign of the disease. Four days afterwards she sickened with it. The case ran its
typical course. It was modified and semi-confluent. She was protected by vaccination,
having 3 faintly-marked cicatrices on the left arm. The second case was that of a private
who was admitted into hospital with doubtful fever which turned out to be small-pox. He
was already isolated from the other cases, but no sooner did the disease declare itself than
he was removed to the contagious ward. He probably caught the disease from a female
relation of his who was admitted into the 23rd Regimental Hospital with small-pox. The
disease was very mild in this case, and, though no vaccination marks were discernible, I
believe the man was protected. The third case was a sepoy's son, and quite unconnected
in any way with the other two. He was well protected by vaccination, having 2 well
-marked cicatrices on the left arm, and 1 on the right. All these cases were promptly remov--
ed to the contagious wards and their huts and the huts adjacent to theirs were cleaned and
B 196—25
Influence of rainfall.
Epidemics.