143
PESHAWAR DISTRICT.
the 'same dietetic value, we cannot say that the sepoy is not placed at a disadvantage by his,
exclusively vegetable diet. My own impression is that he would be more robust and better
able to resist cold if a small allowance of meat were substituted for a part of his large allow-
ance of flour.- It is an error to say that Hindus will not eat meat of any kind; they will all,
if allowed to kill it themselves, eat the flesh of sheep and goats. (An officer Who was with
the 2nd Goorkhas at Malta tells me that he frequently saw his men buying Meat at butchers'
stalls.) And here, too, the few sheep and goats that have fallen as spoil to the men, have been eaten by them with great satisfaction.
X. Clothing.—This as supplied has been insufficient. Certain articles of warm clothing
were not issued for five or six weeks after leaving Jumrood, others, and amongst them perhaps
the most indispensable of all the waterproof sheet, had not been issued three months after the
commencement of operations. For campaigning in such a climate at such a season, two blankets
at least, instead of only one, should have been served out to each man, and the other articles of
warm clothing (jerseys, &c.) should, if possible, have been issued in the beginning, before
pneumonia had made its victims and before repeated chills had brought back ague to those
predisposed to it. For marching in a rocky country like this there is nothing better than the
native shoe, but it should be made of better leather than at present, should. be better sewn and
protected by either screws or nails.
Clothing
X.I. Duty and employment .—Since going on service the duties have been somewhat heavy, Duty and
especially at Lundi Kotul, where in addition to numerous pickets, the regiment has had to furnish
escorts daily. For a while the sepoys had barely two nights in bed.
Duty and
X V. Sickness, mortatity and invaliding .—Strength of the regiment:—
Present
. .
. . . . . .
. . . 648.52
Absent
.
.
.
.
. .
. .
. . 77.48
Total .
. . 726.00
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
STATION.
PERIOD.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number of sick.
PER CENT. OT STRENGTH
PRR ANNUM.
from
To
Strength. Admis- sions. Deaths.
Admi s-si ons Deaths. Daily
average si ck
Head-quarters in camp at
Nowshera.
1st Jan. 1878 31st Dee. 1878 465.1 1,041
17 18.52 223.60 2.58 3.93
Depot at Nowshera . . Ditto
„ 10th Feb. „ . 177.40
57 ...
18.66 286.03 ... 10.46
Detachment at Shergasha . 7th Feb. „ 7th Mar. „ . 364.60
20 ...
6.71 68.96 ... 1.84
at Abazai
. 30th Mar. „ 1st Oct. „ . 139.46 8O
1
1.94 112.55 1.44 1.39
at Mardan . 1st Oct. „ 16th Nov. „ . 237.55 105 ...
17.64 292.88
. . . 7.42
Depôt at Nowshera . . 18th Nov. „ 31st Dec. „ . 143.03
39 ...
33.24 226.13 ... 23.24
TOTAL
. . .
...
648.52 1,342
18 29.65 206.93 2.77 4.57
Number of deaths in hospital 18 ; out of hospital 9; total
27; per cent. of total strength
.
3.72
”
invalided . . . . . . .
.
22 ; „
. .
3.03
”
sent on sick leave
. . . . . .
28; „
”
. .
3.85
„
of days spent in hospital 10,823 ; per admission
8.06; per man of total strength . . 11.90
”
”
ou sick leave 3,370; per man
. 120.35; „
”
. .
4 . 6 4
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. . 19.54
XVI. Principal causes of sickness .—There have been intermittent fevers, dysentery and
pulmonary affections. The sudden and great increase in these affections, almost immediately
after going upon service, shows unmistakeably how ill-prepared the men were for the cold that
awaited them. The admissions during November for bronchitis, pneumonia, dysentery and
diarrhœa were respectively 7, 0, 19 and 1; the admissions during December for the same diseases
were 27, 19, 66, and 13. Much of this sickness would have been prevented by the timely
issue of warm clothing. The pneumonia was of an asthenic type, usually a sequel to either
bronchitis or intermittent fever, and not uncommonly double. It ended fatally in about half
the number of those attacked.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality .—Out of the total number of deaths in hospital for
the year, viz ., 13, 8 were from pneumonia, and 7 of these occurred in one month, December.
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Principal
causes of
mortality
XXI.
Special observations and remarks .—The only observations I have had an opportunity
of making have been on the treatment of the prevailing pneumonia. At first I treated all
cases in the following way :—A dose containing. 5 grains of carbonate of ammonia, 10 minims
of sulphuric ether, and 1 ounce of pepperment water was given every 4 hours. With this treat-
-ment was combined the administration of fluid nourishment and stimulants and the application
of poultices to the chest. About one-half the number of cases recovered. Subsequently I
adopted another plan of treatment. For the first few days, that is while there was high fever
and pectoral pain, but no great accumulation of secretion in the air-passages, I gave 3 minims
Special
observations
and remarks.