Mortality an
d invaliding.
Principal
causes of
sickness.
86
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
Sickness.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength,
TOTAL NUMBE
R OF
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admi s-si ons Deaths.
Admi s-si ons. Deaths. Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Debra Dun 1st Jan. 1878 19th April 1878 673.62 103
2 21.13 51.20 .99 3.13
, ,
a t M a l t a
" 20th April „ 11th Oct. ,, 547.64 736
4 34.63 280.44 1.52 6.33
, ,
a t D e h r a D u n 12th Oct. ,, 26th ,, ,,
685.
56
. . .
40.85 198.93 . . . . . .
5.96
,,
at Afghan-
istan.
27th „ „ 31st Dec. „ 602.6
253
2 31.34 232.16 1.67 5.20
Depôt at Dehra Dun
20th April „ 11th Oct. „ 105.8
84
5
5.51 165.58 9.84 5.20
27th Oct. ,, 31st Dec. „
8 4 .
22
.2
6.70 144.9 13.16 7.97
TOTAL
.
. . .
. . . 707.35 1,254 15 33.42 177.42 2.13 5.73
Number of deaths iu hospital 15; out of hospital 5; total
20; per cent. of total strength . . 2.76
,, invalided . . . . . . . .
38;
,,
. . 4.97
, , „
s e n t o n s i c k l e a v e
. . . . . .
8;
,,
„
. . 1.15
„ of days spent in hospital 12,220; per admission . 9.74; per man of total strength . . 16.88
,,
ou sick leave 341; per man
. 42.62; ,,„
, ,
. . .47
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . 17.35
Sickness.—This is shewn in detail in an appended form, from which it will be observed
that the sickness of' the year was excessive, being no less than 1,254 admissions, as compared
with 379 last year. It would be unfair, however, to institute a comparison between the
present and the past year without giving due weight to the different circumstances under which
they were passed. When exposure, vicissitudes incidental to campaigning, marches, and injuri
-ous climate, are among the year's experiences of a regiment, naturally one expects a large amount
of sickness compared with a year passed in a quiet cantonment. Under the above circum-
stances only can a comparison be drawn between the years 1878 and 1877, and it may be in-
structive to compare them, noting the enormous deterioration of health which took place on the
above causes coming into operation. Taking the first three months of each year passed in can-
tonments, I find the number of admissions to have been, in 1877,113. and in 1878, 93—a difference
of 20 admissions in favor of the latter year. Taking the next period of three months—April,
May and June—passed by the regiment in 1877 in cantonments, in 1878 on a railway journey, on
board-ship, and at Malta, I find that the admissions amount in 1878 to 349, while in 1877 there
were only 82. Here we have the enormous difference of 267, but then we have as additional
factors causing sickness, a railway journey of 10 days, then a month of unavoidable crowding
on board a troopship and the discomfort incident thereto,combnied with exposure to great heat, &c.
Here I may remark that there is evidence to show that the health of the regiment improved
while at Malta. Taking the next period of three months—July, August and September—which
in the one Year was passed in cantonments, and in the other at Malta, Cyprus and on board-ship,
again the admissions respectively are 369 and 110. The climate of Cyprus seems to have been
responsible for the great portion of this sickness. As already stated an improvement took place
while at Malta. Dr. Eddowes says that the form of fever at Malta "was ushered in by shiver-
ing, and existing for three or four clays, leaving the patient but little pulled clown." He does
not describe the Cyprus fever, from which most of the admissions took place, but the cases were
e n t e r e d u n d e r ' Ag u e . ' Un l i k e t h e Ma l t a f e v e r , wh i c h , a c c o r d i n g t o Dr . E d c l o we s , l e f t n o
prostration, the Cyprus fever left its victims greatly pulled down, and there seem to he doubts of
its being malarial. The hospital-assistant of the regiment, an intelligent young fellow, states
the duration of the cases was 5 or 6 days, that during that time the fever was continuous, with
hi gh t emperat ure and what he cal l s ' swel l i ng of t he body, ' and t hat on t he fever passi ng away
the patients became thin, worn-out and greatly debilitated. Comparing the last quarters of the
two years, I find in 1877 the admissions 74; in 1878, 376. Here again soldiering in Cyprus, life
on board-ship, railway journeys, marches in the Punjab during the cold weather, may be held to
account for the great excess. But the year 1877 was apparently an unusually healthy one, for I
find that in 1876 there were 625 admissions. On reference to 1872, when the regiment was
on the Looshai campaign, the admissions of the year amounted to 836; the total number of
days passed in hospital being 11,024, and each man being an average of 13 days. The average
this year is 16.88 per man of total strength. Probably the Looshai year would have proved
equally unfavourable had the services extended over an equal period. There was a good amount
of sickness at the depôt in proportion to the strength, but local cause must not be held ac-
countable for this, rather I should say it ought to be attributed, in the first place, to the fact
that the weakly members of the regiment were left behind, and secondly, that all the sick taken
by the head-quarters from Malta were left here on the departure of the regiment to Afghan-
istan.
Mortality and invaliding.—There were a total of 20 deaths during the year (of which
15 in hospital), compared with 15 in 1877. There were 36 men invalided, They are all said
to have been worn-out.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—Fever as usual heads the list, and under this head
the large number of 640 is put down to ague ( a) and 9 cases to remittent fever; next comes
blisters of the feet, causing 128 admissions. Last year, in cantonments, there were only 14.