RAJPOOTANA DISTRICT.
47
lowing diseases :—injuries, 48 ; dysentery, 17 ; diarrhœa, 5 ; other affections of the bowels, 10 ;
abscess, 13 ; rheumatism, 12; chest affections, 11 ; eye diseases, 7 ; ulcer and boil, 6; venereal
disease, 5 ; jaundice, 4 ; synovitis 4 ; skin diseases, 4 ; ear affections, 2 ; neuralgia, 1 ; hæma-
turia, 1 ; whitlow, 1 ; enteric fever, 1 ; and cholera, 8. The admissions of 1878 are thu s
129.39 per cent. of the strength. For other years the percentage of admissions to strength
was :—1870, 83.2 ; 1871, 43 . 37 ; 1872, 43.3 ; 1873, 34 . 7 ; 1874, 172 . 00 ; 1875, 68.86 ; 1876.
75 . 5 8 : a n d f o r 1 8 7 7 , 2 8. 2 7 . 1 8 7 8 a n d 1 8 7 4 s t a n d p r o m i n e n t l y f o r t h a s u n h e a l t h y y e a r s i n
the medical history of the corps, and the excessive sickness of both years has been the result
of malarious fever. There is this peculiarity in the Deolee fever that it commenced to harass
the regiment almost immediately after its arrival at the station, that although a larger proportion
of the cases than usual was of the tertian type, the disease was of a more severe and obsti-
nate kind than I had ever previously seen ; that brain, chest, liver and spleen complication
was a strikingly frequent accompaniment, and that convalescence was consequently very
slow and unsatisfactory. Nevertheless none of the cases among the men proved immediately
fatal, and this agreeable result, I must attribute to the liberal administration of quinine
lime-juice, and stimulants, and the use of ice and hot-baths. The cinchona febrifuge declared
itself to be a useful remedy in the milder cases, but the worst form of the fever defied quinine
itself, except when this invaluable drug was given hypodermically in large and frequent doses.
Several of the fever patients owed their recovery to careful dieting, to which all requiring it
had to submit, the hospital supplies of sago and arrowroot being substituted for their own
coarse and unsuitable food. The fever season was immediately preceded by an outbreak of
cholera, which added very seriously to the prevailing ill-health , and gave another instance of
the yet unexplained association of cholera with ague. 1869, a bad fever year at Deolee, was
also distinguished by an outbreak of cholera. here ; and 1874, a fever year at Meerut, was
followed in 1875 by a similar outbreak of cholera. 1869 and 1878 were years following seasons
of such exceptional drought that a complete failure of the crops was the result ; and it appears
probable, therefore, that the epidemics of cholera and fever in both years depended upon certain
telluric causes having some connection with each other. A case of true enteric fever was
recorded in the regiment in June. This case was at first looked on as one of remittent fever,
until the diagnostic symptoms of the former disease became so marked that there could no
longer be any doubt of its nature. The patient made a very slow but eventually a complete
recovery.
Principal causes of mortality. —Cholera caused 6 deaths, ague 2, phthisis 1, and en-
teritis 1 ; in all 10 deaths—a larger mortality than this regiment has experienced for years. The
case of enteritis occurred at the cholera camp, and was probably the result of exposure to the
weather ; the deaths horn ague and phthisis took place at the respective homes of the men
who died, and who had been sent on sick leave. Fever (remittent) caused the death, much to
the grief of all here, of Captain W. R. Hamilton of the regiment. This officer, when attacked
by fever, had recently returned from famine duty in the Madras Presidency, where he had
undergone much bard work and exposure to the climate, and whence he doubtless carried away
the seeds of his fatal malady. The immediate cause of his death was congestion of the brain.
XXI. Special observations —Recruiting. —Thirty-eight recruits were entertained during the
year, with an average chest measurement of 33 inches. Sixteen lads were rejected by the
medical officer for physical disability, namely, 2 on account of varicose veins, 3 lung disease, 4
defective vision, 2 deformity, 2 deficient chest capacity, 1 enlargement of liver, 1 enlargement
of spleen, and 1 hæmorrhoids and fistula in ano.
Inspection. —Owing to the changes which have occurred in the administra-
tive medical duties, and the absorption of the Agra circle into those of Meerut
and Jubbulpore, no inspection of the Rajpootana troops for 1878 was found
practicable.
Deolee Irregular Forces—Doolee.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Inspection.
I. Medical Officers. —This regiment has been under the medical charge of
Surgeon-Major F. W. A. de
Fabeck throughout the year,
except during the intervals
of that officer proceeding on
temporary leave, the duties
being then performed by
Surgeon Gunn, 4th Bengal
Cavalry. The head-quarters
have been at Deolee through-
out the year, except for
about a month during Janu-
ary and February, when the
corps was at Nusseerabad.
VIII. W ater-supply. —From
sources formerly described. The
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873
. Deolee
95.8
1.
4.6
1874
. Ditto
.
.
.
112.6
1.4
4.1
1875
. Ditto
.
.
.
117.57
.57
4.52
1876
. Ditto . . .
82.17
1.2
3.4
1877
. Ditto.
.
.
60.51
1.37
2.1
Average
.
.
93.73
1.11
3.74
1878
. Deolee
.
.
.
123.14
1.48
4.62
Medical
Officers.
Water-supply.