Inspection.
Medical
Officers.
93
Inspection.—The inspection of the regiment by wings took place, the right
at Moradabad on the 19th October, and the left at Shahjahanpur on the 21st.
It was then on the eve of starting for active service under General Roberts in
the Koorum valley, and Dr. Hutchinson, the inspecting medical officer, was
gratified with the medical arrangements prepared for the campaign.
3rd Goorkha (The Rumaon)—Regiment—Almora.
I. Medical Officers. —Surgeon-Major G. M. Govan was in medical charge
of the regiment up to 4th
November, and was then
invalided to England for
two years. Surgeon-Major
J. W. Johnston, M.D., was
appointed to officiate on the
5th, and Surgeon G. A. Em-
erson was attached to the
regiment on the 11th No-
vember. The annual report
on the 3rd Goorkha Regi-
ment, written by
Surgeon Maj or J. W. Johnston, M.D.,
in medical charge, is un-
usually interesting and com-
plete. Leaving out almost
entirely the history of the
early part of the year, which had been passed at Almorah and frequently describ-
ed, he furnishes a full and very careful description of the march to Afghanistan
through the Bolan Pass. It is too long to be published entire in the pages of
this annual ; but it is replete with evidences of the extreme care with which
Dr. Johnston performed his duty, of the varied knowledge which he brought to
bear on the new scenes through which the march was made, and of the fore-
thought, liberality and devotion with which much danger from exposure was
averted.
II. Location and movements. —The head-quarters were stationed at Almorah till the 11th
October, and in camp at Meean Meer from the 23rd October to the 10th November ; at Mooltan
from the 12th to the 19th, and at Khanpore from the 21st to the 22nd November. From the
12th to the 23rd October it proceeded by road and rail to Meean Meer. The regiment also
moved by rail from Meean Meer to Mooltan on the 11th, and from Mooltan to Khanpore
(Sind) on the 20th November. On the 23rd November the regiment marched to Mithankote,
which it reached on the 26th, and halted there till the 30th. It thence.advanced on 1st Decem-
ber through the Bituch Katchi, reaching Tilla Karez on the 31st December (the second stage
north of Quetta).
XIII. Marches and service.—The regiment left Almorah on 12th October and arrived
at Bareilly on the 20th, having marched 100 miles in nine days. The men were assisted
through the Terai on elephants. General Ramsay, C.B., K.C.S.I., Commissioner of Kumaon;
presented the regiment with two pounds of quinine. On three occasions during its passage
through the Terai, the regiment was paraded at sun-down, and a four-grain dose exhibited to
each man ; although no medical record is available, the Officer Commanding informs me. he
believes the quinine was useful as a prophylactic.
XIV. Hospital.—The camp hospital on service, which was furnished at Mooltan on the
18th November last, consisted of 6 lascar pals, each Of the following dimensions
Height.
Length.
Breadth.
8 feet 3 inches
16 feet
16 feet,
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873 . Almorah . . .
106.6
.71
4.49
1874 . Ditto
. . .
93.9
.69
4.15
1875
Ditto
. . .
102.
.41
4.44
1876 . Ditto
. . .
102.2
.96
3.79
1877 . Ditto
.
75.38
.68
2.93
Average . . .
96.01
.
70
3.96
1878 . Almorah ; marched to
Afghanistan on active
service, 11th October.
120.42 .14
3.75
Location and
movements.
Marches and
service.
HospitaJ.
which represents 2,124 cubic-feet. A tent was supposed to be occupied by 12 men, which would
give each patient 177 free cubic-feet ; but as a matter of fact there were never more than 8 in
any one, so that there was ample hospital tentage, each man having 260 cubic-feet of air, with
a ground space of 22 feet per man. The tents were kept as warm as possible by piling earth
against the sides and forming a pie around them. Strewing the floor with herbage or grass,
and by utilising the jhules1 of dead-camels. There was practically little lighting on the
road, the ordinary allowance of oil was not exceeded.
1
S e e f o o t - n o t e i n p a g e 7 5 .
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