112
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
26th (Punjab) Regiment, Flatibe Enfantrg—Meean Meer.
Medical
Officers.
Location and
movements.
Diet.
Clothing.
I . M e d i c a l O f f i c e r s . —
The corps was in charge of the under-mentioned
medical officers during the
year :—Surgeon-Major A,
K. Reed, F.R.C.S.I., from the
1st January to the 30th Sep-
tember, and Surgeon A.
Crofts from the 1st October
to the end of the year.
II. Location and movements.
— T h e r e g i m e n t r e m a i n e d a t M e e a n
Meer up to the 27th September,
giving a detachment to Umritsur
from the 19th February to the
27th September. On the 27th
September, leaving a depôt at
Meean Meer, the regiment pro-
ceeded to Mooltan by rail, march-
ing thence, on the 1st October, viâ Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpore and Dadur, towards Quetta.
•
IX. Diet.—Surgeon Crofts, in his monthly sanitary report for the month of October,
states :—" The atta supplied by the Commissariat has not been properly sifted; when a seer is
sifted, 2 chitacks of coarse husk unfit for food remain behind in the sieve, each man thus
losing a quarter of a pound of his ration of atta." At Meean Meer the men received compen-
sation for dearness of provisions. I referred in last report to the temptation men lie under to
stint themselves, and my experience during many years' service leads me to believe that greater
efficiency would be insured by the Commissariat Department rationing the men.
X. Clothing.—Surgeon Crofts, in his sanitary report for November 1878, says :—" The
cold was very severe, and the cloth uniform was not at all warm enough. The men, however,
were allowed to wear their drill uniform inside the cloth one, and by this expedient, and by
wearing their great-coats, they kept the cold out very well." They were at first very badly
provided with bedding, which consisted of " a durrie and country blanket." A second blanket
was issued to each man. With respect to the native shoes, I have already expressed myself as
regards their unfitness in my report for 1877. I may just mention that there were 85 admis-
sions for blistered feet and injuries resulting from the shoes during the year under considera-
tion; these include all injuries referable to wearing shoes, many of those resulting in an
indolent ulcer with indurated edges over the internal malleolus caused by " brushing" of the
shoe of the opposite foot. Of the 85 cases, 43 occurred on the march from Mooltan to
Quetta.
XIV. Hospital.—The hospital of the standard plan ordinarily afforded accommodation
sufficient for all regiments. The want of properly glazed doors was much felt, however, parti-
cularly in the cold weather.
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873 . Peshawar, Nov 1871.
186.
3.1
2.7
1874 . Meean Meer, Nov. 1874
212.2
1.8
3.8
1875 . Ditto
. . .
220.28
3.29
5.1
1876 . Ditto.
. .
225.78
1.29
5.33
1877 . Ditto.
. 144.24
1.72
4.47
Average . .
197.7
2.24
4.3
1878 . Meean Meer, and active
service in Afghnistan.
209.21
2.40
8.64
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.-Strength of the regiment :-
Present
. . .
.
.
. .
. .
.
. 638.68
Absent
. .
.
. .
. .
. .
.
. 67.77
Total . .
. 706.45
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUEBER
OF
Daily
average
number of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis- siom. Deaths.
Admis- sions. Deaths. Daily
average sick.
Head-quarters at Meean
Meer.
1st Jan. 1878 27th Sep. 1878 319.16 751
3 29.71 267.74 1.06 7.82
Head-quarters on service in
Afghanistan.
28th Sep. „ 31st Dec. • „ 107.66 317
1
7.20 1119.47 3.53 6.68
Detachment at Umritsur . 19th Feb. „ 27th Apl. „ 104.27 124 . . .
4.16 196.41 ... 3.98
Depôt at Meean Meer . 27th Sep. „ 31st Dec. „
50.36 144
2 14.14 1087.13 15.21 28'07
TOTAL . .
...
...
638.68 1,336
13 55.21 209.21 2.03 8.64
Number of deaths in hospital 13; out of hospital 4; total
17; per cent. of total strength .
2.40
„
, invalided . . , , . . . .
12; „
„
. .
1.65
„
sent on sick leave . . . . . . .
47; „
. .
„.
6.65
„
of days spent in hospital 20,152; per admission . 15.06; per man of total strength . 28.52
„
,„
on sick leave 4,848; per man
. 103-15; „
„
. .
6.86
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . 35-38