Special obser
-vations and
remarks.
Inspection.
24 MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
average
number
of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admi s-
sions. Deaths. Daily
Average sick.
Head-quarters, Shillong . 1st Jany. 1878 31st Dec. 1878 571.4 787
14
29.3 137.73 2.4 5.12
Detachment, Naga Hills .
Ditto
. 8th Mar. „
201.
8
1
1.6 21.68 2.7 .80
Ditto,
Alinagar
.
Ditto
. 31st Dec. „
42.7 127 ...
4.1 297.42 ... 9.59
Ditto,
Chargola
.
Ditto
.
Ditto
.
46.6
27
2
.7 57.94 4.2 1.50
Ditto,
Jowai
Ditto .
Ditto .
51.2
88 ...
2.6 171.87 ... 5.07
TOTAL .
...
...
765.8 1,037
17
37.2 135.41 2.21 4.85
Number of deaths in hospital 17 ; out of hospital 2 ; total
19; per cent. of total strength . 2.24
„ invalided . . . .
. . . .
50; „
„
.
5.91
„
sent on sick leave..
. . .
5;
„
„ .
.59
„
of days spent in hospital 13,584; per admission .
13.1; per man of total strength
. 16.06
„ „
on sick leave 2,709; per man
. 541.8; „
„
• 3.20
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. 19.26
Medical
Officers.
Meteorology.
There has been a very gratifying diminution in the number of Sick, and the percentage of
admissions is much less at all the stations occupied by the regiment, The percentage of daily
average sick remains the same at head-quarters. Alinagar still gives the largest ratio of
admission and daily average sick, and is evidently a very unhealthy post. The mortality in the
regiment was nearly equal to that of last year. Two cases of cholera at Chargola and a case
of tiger-bite at Shillong reduce the amount to be attributed to the health statistics of the
regiment. The large number invalided arose from the fact that there were two committees
during the year, the annual date of the committee for Assam regiments having. been changed.
A curious epidemic of dropsy occurred in the latter part of the year, attacking civil and military
residents at Shillong alike, for which no cause can be assigned. It somewhat resembles beri-beri,.
except that it is rarely fatal. The whole course of the disease is being thoroughly investigated
at present. Nearly all cases observed in the regiment were scorbutic.
XXI. Special observations and remarks.— The Darjiling febrifuge was almost entirely used
as the febrifuge of the year, and the cure was found in all fresh cases to be satisfactory.
Inspection. —The 42nd Native Infantry, Shillong, was inspected by the
Deputy Surgeon-General of the Assam Circle on the 22nd October 1878. The
sepoys' huts are condemned and in process of demolition. The water-supply,
both as regards wells and open reservoirs, is open to every species of pollution,
and this was ascertained by repeated testing. The latrines are by trenches, which
are not supervised. There is no subsequent cultivation. The hospital is more
suited to the plains of India than the extreme cold of the Shillong elevation.
It is draughty and chill. The hospital records were extremely effective ; the
recruits in many instances were poor-limbed and flat-chested.
44th Regt (Sylhct) Light Infantry,—Rd. Qrs. and Right Wing—Shillong.
I. Medical Officers.— S u r g e o n J . W i l s o n h e l d m e d i c a l c h a r g e f r o m 1 s t
January to 10th February ;
Surgeon J. O'Brien, M.D.,
from latter date to end of
year.
IV. Meteorology.—The unusual
- l y h e a v y r a i n f a l l a n d c o n s e q u e n t
moderate temperature were the
chief features of the meteorology
o f t h e y e a r . I n 1 8 7 7 I r e m a r k e d
that the rainfall was the highest
of which we had record ; but it has
been still higher in 1878, viz.,
107.8 inches, compared with 104
in 1877. For the six years prior
to 1874 the average rainfall was
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873 . Shillong . . .
480
4.1
5.3
1874 . Dibrugarh . . .
209.9
2.8
5.4
1875
. Ditto
. . .
199.65
2.91
512
1876 . Ditto
. . .
146.06
1.37
4.03
1877 . Ditto, Shillong, Dec..
174.14
1.46
3.78
Average
. .
241.95
2.53
4.72
1878 . Shillong, Dec.1877; Left
Wing, Gaubati . .
177.5
1.92
5.66