MILITARY DEPARTMENT, 8TH SEPTEMBER 1879, No. 5000.
Table H shows the admissions, mortality, and invaliding with the rates per
1,000 of strength of each corps serving in the command. Of the different arms
of the service the Artillery contributed the highest admission ratio. In regard to
invaliding they occupy an intermediate place between the cavalry and infantry,
the former having the highest ratios both in mortality and invaliding.
Cavalry .—Compared with 1877 the admission rate, 1347.63, per mille shows
an increase of 207.02, the death rate, 26.40, exceeds that of the previous year by
2.78 per mille, while the invaliding ratio, 80.31, is nearly double that of 1877. The
admission ratio in the 12th Lancers exceeds that in 14th Hussars by 353.76 per
mille, the death ratio by 25.20, while the invaliding ratio, 55.91, is less by 49.95
per mille. The increased admission ratio in 12th Lancers is due to the prevalence
of simple continued fever, dysentery, primary syphilis, and hepatitis. The smaller
invaliding rate appears due partly to the shorter time the regiment has been in
India and partly to the increased death rate having removed several cases which
had they survived would have been invalided. The larger death rate in 12th
Lancers is due to a greater mortality from climatic diseases as shown below, viz. :—
TOTAL DEATHS IN 1878.
12th Lancers.
14th Hussars.
Sunstroke . . . 4
Sunstroke . . . 1
Dysentery . . . 3
Dysentery . . . 1
Hepatitis . . . 5
Hepatitis . . . 1
Enteric fever . . . 1
Enteric fever . . . 1
Simple continued fever. 1
Simple continued fever. 1
Remittent fever . . . 2
Remittent fever . . . . . .
Phthisis . . . 1
Phthisis . . . . . .
Diarrhœa . . . 1
Diarrhœa . . . 1
Total . . . 18
Total . . . 6
Comparing the results in 1878 with those in 1877, the admission, death, and
invaliding rates in 12th Lancers have all increased. This was due to the greater
prevalence of certain diseases in 1878. The regiment having only arrived from
England in February 1877, the numbers invalided during that year (8) were
necessarily small. The 14th Hussars show an increase in admissions and a
decrease in deaths. The invaliding ratio amounted to 105.86 per mille against
69.87 in 1877. There were 47 invalids against 32 in 1877 ; of these nine were for
hepatitis against four in the previous year. Only six deaths were recorded against
ten in 1877.
Artillery .—The admission and death rates exceed those in 1877 by 51.87 and
3.91, respectively, per mille of strength. The invaliding ratio (48.24) shows a
reduction of 8.20. The total admissions exceed those recorded in 1877 by 122
only ; G/6th Brigade, Royal Artillery, Kamptee, furnished the highest admission,
rate, viz., 1824.32 ; 9/8th Brigade, Royal Artillery, Tonghoo, the lowest, viz.,
988.09. The mortality was greatest in 8/8th Brigade, Tonghoo, viz., 115.38 per
mille. There were nine deaths in this Battery, viz., remittent fever 1, dysentery
2, hepatitis 2, phthisis 2, sunstroke 1, lightning stroke 1. D/6th Brigade, Royal
Artillery, Bangalore, showed the lowest death rate, viz., 6.06 per mille.
Infantry .—The admission rate, 1314.73, shows an increase of 239.52 per mille ;
the death rate, 19.52, is greater by 4.53, while the invaliding rate, 40.67,
shows a reduction of 2.42. In the 2/16th Regiment, Secunderabad, 1323 admis
-
sions were recorded against 1062 in 1877 ; ague and diarrhœa were both
much more prevalent in this corps than in the previous year. The 1/21st
Regiment located at the same station had 1174 admissions against 778 in the
previous year. Febrile and venereal affections were both prevalent in this corps.
The 33rd Regiment at Kamptee had an increased admission rate due chiefly to
febrile affections and syphilis. The 2/13th Regiment, Bellary, gives the highest
admission ratio (1925.76) per mille, the 2/16th Regiment, Secunderabad,
the highest death rate (25.49 per mille) ; the left wing, 44th Regiment,
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