120
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
Drainage.
Diet.
Clothing.
Duties and
employment.
Exercise and
amusements.
Marches and
service.
ckness,
mortality and
invaliding
VI, Drainage.—As in previous reports.
IX. Dice.—Described in previous reports ; but the married people, more especially, have
suffered from the famine, and on return to duties I was struck with the generally under-fed
appearance of them, their wives and families, as compared with former years. Since coming on
service, and the issue of free rations, I could not fail to see the great improvement in the physique
of a considerable portion of the regiment unable in cantonments to provide sufficient sustenance
out of their pay for their families when with them. The great improvement in appearance
and health of a large body of the men, when put on full rations gratuitously issued, was remark-
able, and health much improved during the first six weeks of active service.
X. Clothing.—Previously described.
X.Duties and employment.—Previously described; very light ; nights in bed have been 5.4.
X. Exercise and amusements.—Previously described.
XIII. Marches and service.—Marched on the morning of 2nd October for the frontier, viâ
Sialkot, by kutcha road, from the village of Deenanuggur to Sialkot. From the latter
place the road is metalled to where it joins the Grand Trunk near Wazeerabad. On arrival
at Jhelum, the destination of the regiment was changed to Peshawar, instead of Kohat, as
previously ordered. On arrival at Nowshera the regiment was halted there for some days,
greatly to its benefit in giving rest to the men and putting them together. It reached Peshawar
on the 13th November, and advanced from Jumrood on the 21st at 2 A.M., marching for the
greater part up-hill, greatly impeded by the baggage of the 2nd brigade and extreme narrow-
ness of the foot track until noon, when a halt was made and a bivouac eventually formed for
the night. On the 22nd the march was resumed, and the summit of Kuchas reached, where
it was found that Ali Musjid had been taken on the preceding day. So the very steep and
difficult descent into the Khyber, near Kutta Kushtia, was commenced and not finished until
some time after dark. Here the cold was extreme, with a bitter wind from the west. The
men's feet and legs got wet in fording the Khyber river, and they had to bivouac on the gravelly
bed. without either food or great-coats, Dakka was reached on 25th November, the regiment
encamping outside the fort. The post appeared a particuilarly unhealthy one, locked in by
low hills, low-lying and very foul as regards both soil and surroundings. The fort especially
was in the most insanitary state conceivable, having been occupied for some time by the
Afghan troops during sickness and inaction, with no attempt whatever at conservancy. Excava-
tions from whence the mud had been taken to build and strengthen the defence, filled with all
sorts of filth evolving abominable smells, existed throughout its interior, and the ground about
was little better. On 25th November Basawal was reached, and here we were furtunately
placed in a raised ridge running across the valley, with abundance of good water close by, a
dry soil, and fine breezy situation. There were extensive grave-yards to the south of camp,
but they did not affect either water-supply or air, and although extensive swamps surrounded
the north face of the camp, they were at too great a distance off to do us harm. From
Basawal the regiment marched across a dreary plain for Jellalabad on the 18th, arriving on the
20th. During the march the cold was extreme ; the streams frozen hard ; thermometer going
down to 25 º i nsi de tents.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the regiment :—
Present
. . . . . . . . . . . 715.07.
Absent
. . . . .
. . . . . . 2 0 . 4 3
•
Total . . 735.50
STATIONS.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average number of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
-
From
To
Admis -
sions. Deaths.
Admis- sions. Deaths. Daily
average sick.
Head-quarters at Bakloh . 1st Jan. 1878 1st Oct. 1878 528.72 570 10 18.17 143.70 2.51 3.45
,,
on field ser-
vice . . 2nd Oct. „ 31st Dec. „ 174.45 417 ... 11.04 958-74 ... 6.32
Depôt at Bakloh. . . Ditto
. Ditto
. 11.90 10 ...
.90 370.73 ... 7. 56
TOTAL . .
. . .
...
715.07 997 10 30.11 139.42 1.39 4 . 2 1
Number of deaths in hospital 10; out of hospital 3 ; total
13; per cent. of total strength . . 1.76
„ invalided
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
0; „
, , ,
0.00
, ,
sent on sick leave . . . . . .
5; ,,
, ,
. 6 8
„ of days spent in hospital 10,992; per admission 11.02; per man of total strength
. 14. 94
, ,
,, on sick leave 405; per man .
81; „
, ,
. . .55
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . 15.49
Principal
causes of
sickness.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness. —First, effects of famine ; second, very unseasonably cold
spring ; third, exigencies of active service. Both sickness and mortality have been above average.
All the causes above enumerated have tended to produce excessive sickness. The first not only