Exercise.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
PESHAWAR DISTRICT.
137
Inspection.—The Deputy Surgeon-General remarks that at the time of his
inspection, 18th March 1878, the regiment had been 2 years and 3 months in
garrison at Peshawar. In the opinion of the medical officer the general health
of the men was at that time " satisfactory," especially in comparison with pre-
vious years, and Mr. Allen adds his own view, viz., " that the regiment appears
to have quite recovered from the fever which affected it during the latter part
of the year, and is as healthy as any of the regiments at Peshawar." In other
respects the hospital duties were lax ; " the records were in confusion ; medical
history sheets incomplete, and some appeared wanting ; the case-book written up
only to 7th December 1877 ; the hospital smokey, and of a dirty appearance."
The particular attention of the medical officer was called to these details.
Inspection,
Note.—This regiment completely broke down from ill-health during service,
and had to be withdrawn owing to the alarming mortality which was render-
ing it unfit for active service. It was perhaps too soon when this report was
written for the medical officer to sum up intelligently and judiciously the pre-
cise causes which instituted and prolonged the epidemic of ague and pneumonia.
In many respects there is a close resemblance in the current symptoms and the
results between the 14th Native Infantry and the 38th Native Infantry,—the one
at Peshawar and the other at Barrackpore ; the one Sikh and the other of various
classes,—but when the annual report for the current year 1879 is being written,
the medical officers should prepare a more complete history of the sickness in
each regiment than has hitherto been done.
20th (Punjab) Regiment, Native Infantry—Peshawar.
note.
I. Medical Officer.— S u r g e o n
W .
N a p i e r K e e f e r w a s i n m e d i c a l c h a r g e o f
the regiment throughout the
year.
II. Location and movements.—
The regiment forming part of the
Jowaki Field Force was at Pus-
taoni, a village in Jowaki territory,
on the 1st January 1878; on the
2nd January it returned to Sher-
gasha ; on the 15th January it
marched from Shergasha through
the Jowaki country to Kohat,
arriving at the latter place on the
23rd January ; thence through the
Kohat Pass to Matauni on the
24th January, and on to Peshawar
on the 25th January. The regi-
ment remained in Peshawar from
the latter date till the 20th November, with the exception of two weeks spent in camp at Hurree
Singh's Boorj, 4 miles out, from 6th to 22nd October. On the 20th November the regiment,
forming part of Brigadier-General Macpherson's brigade in Sir Sam Brown's division of the
Peshawar Valley Field Force, advanced to Fort Jumrood, and at 2 A.m. on the 21st left Jumrood
in company with the other regiments of the brigade and crossed the mountains and the right of
the Khyber Pass, arriving at Kutta Kushtea in the pass on the 22nd; thence on to Lundi Khana
on the 24th, when a halt was made till the 15th December, when the regiment again advanced
to Dakka, remained there one day, and on the 17th marched to Bussawal ; on the 18th to
Chardeh, 19th to Ali Boghan, and 20th to Jellalabad, where it remained for the rest of the year.
IX. Diet. —Formerly described. The Commissariat rations were of good quality, but a less
quantity of attah and an occasional meat diet, with a few mussalahs, would have proved more
satisfactory.
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873
. Delhi, December 1871 .
112.2
. 8
2.7
1874
.
Ditto
..
140.7
1.4
3.6
1875
. Peshawar, March 1875 .
118.99
1.73
2.58
1876
.
Ditto
.
.
.
137.88
1.71
2.97
1877
.
Ditto
.
.
.
148.44
1.27
2.73
Average
.
.
131.64
1.38
2.91
1878
. Peshawar
.
.
184.02
5.24
3.30
Medical
Officer.
Location an d
movements.
Diet.
XI. Duty and employment were excessive during September and October. Generally hard
in Peshawar. Nights in bed, 3.72.
Duty and
employment.
XII. Exercise.—Nothing special.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the regiment :—
Present
.
.
.
.
.
•
.
.
.
.
.
601.56
Absent
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. . 104.36
Total
.
. 705.92
Ii i