158
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
in hospital, experiencing attacks of fever day after day until they were reduced to an extremely
anæmic and debilitated condition, in which state they readily succumbed to the first attack
of any serious disease. The fever (endemic) began to decline about the beginning of October,
but its effects were apparent in the men's health for a long time afterwards. a
Durin the
time the regime nt was at Jumrood, the men suffered much from dysentery, no less than 88
admissions for this disease having taken place in a strength of 362 in about six weeks. I am
ignorant as to What may have caused the prevalence of the disorder. Food supplies were very
good, vegetables procurable, and the camp was kept in a fairly sanitary condition; possibly it
May have been due to the drinking-water, which was very muddy, but in other respects seemed
to be as wholesome as water generally is in India. I append an analysis of a specimen of this
water, which was made by the Chemical Examiner at Lahore. On the arrival of the regiment
at Dakka, the men began to suffer greatly from inflammatory affections of the lungs, in the
Shape of pneumonia, pleurisy or bronchitis; frequently from a compound of all these. The
first case was admitted on the 26th November, and between that date and the 31st Decem-
ber no less than 70 admissions from these diseases took place in a strength of 478 men. The
disorder doubtless originated in the exposure undergone on the march (as stated at paragraph
13) from Jumrood, and was further aggravated by the unsanitary state of the Dakka Fort, and
by the arduous duty, especially at night. I have reason to think that it extended also by
infection, as several cases occurred among men who were in hospital for diseases of a totally
different nature, such as colic, dysentery, congestion of spleen, &amp;c. ; not only this, but several
healthy men who were attending on pneumonia patients were seized by the same disease, as
also were two hospital assistants who slept in the tent in which the worst pneumonia cases
were being treated.
Statement of the Result of Analysis of Water from a Stream flowing from the Khyber Pass.
•
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS.
SOURCE.
Physical qualities.
R e - a c t i o n .
F r e e c a r b o n i c
a c i d .
C h i o r i d e s .
S u l p h a t e s .
N i t r a t e s .
S u l p h u r e t t e d
hydrogen.
N i t r i t e s .
L i m e .
M a g n e s i a .
I r o n .
A m m o n i a .
REMARKS.
A bottle of
water from a
stream flow-
ing from the
Khyber Pass.
After standing, a con-
siderable whitish sedi-
ment fell.
N e u t r a l .
P r e s e n t .
v e r y s l i g h t a m o u n t .
M o d e r a t e a m o u n t .
N o d i s t i n e t r e - a c t i o n .
N o r e - a c t i o n .
P r e s e n t ; v e r y d i s t i n c t r e - a c t i o n .
P r e s e n t ; m o d e r a t e a m o u n t . P r e s e n t ; m o d e r a t e a m o u n t .
T r a c e .
P r e s e n t ; d i s t i n c t r e a c t i o n .
The sediment consisted
of particles of clay
silica and carbonate
of lime, with slight
amount of vegetable
débris. The presence
of ammonia and ni-
trates indicate prob-
able pollution.
Water remained trans-
parent,with slight
flocculent, suspended
matter. No peculiar
taste or smell.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— Forty-five deaths have occurred in, and six out of
hospital ; two of the latter among men who had been sent to their homes on sick leave.
Epidemics.
X V I I I . E p i d e m i c s . — T h e o n l y d i s e a s e w h i c h m a y b e s a i d t o h a v e o c c u r r e d i n a n e p i d e m i c
form is pneumonia, and as this disorder extended for a considerable period into the present year,
1879, I thought it best to give the statistics, &amp;c., for the whole time of its duration. They
will be found under the head of " Special observations," para. XXI.
Vaccination. XIX. Vaccination.— O n l y o n e c a s e o f s m a l l p o x , a n d t h a t o f t h e m o d i f i e d v a r i e t y , i n a
man who bore traces of a former attack, has been admitted. With very few exceptions,
all the men have marks of having taken the disease, either naturally or artificially, previous to
enlistment. No men have been vaccinated during the year.
Recommend
a-tions.
XX. Recommendations.— W h e n t h e r e g i m e n t w a s q u a r t e r e d a t D a k k a , a n d t h e m e n w e r e
suffering from great sickness in addition to very heavy duty, I recommended that the ration
should be supplemented by a small quantity of meat and goor, and that the men on night duty
should be allowed a ration of tea. At this place meat was not procurable for Hindoos. My
recommendation was approved by the principal medical officer and granted by the General
Officer commanding the division, but was soon afterwards disallowed, I believe, by the order of
Government.
Special obs
e r e - v a t i o n s a n d
remarks.
XXI. Special observations and remarks. — T h e p n e u m o n i a e p i d e m i c c o m m e n c e d o n t h e a r r i v a l
of the regiment at Dakka, and continued till the end of February 1879. A few cases have been
admitted since that date, but it may be said to have lost its epidemic character about that time.
From first to last there were 131 admissions, equal to 27.6 of the strength present. Of these
80 were admitted under the head of pneumonia, 7 for pleurisy, 28 for acute bronchitis,
and 16 for remittent fever, the disease having been named at the time of admissions accord-
ing to the more strongly marked symptoms, as the weather was too cold to allow of strip-
ping the patients for the purpose of making a more correct diagnosis ; but as the disease
progressed, symptoms of pneumonia invariably made their appearance in all of the above cases.
The first cases which were admitted seemed to be of the ordinary type of pneumonia, but in
a short time the disease assumed a totally different and more malignant character, as if some