PUNJAB FRONTIER FORCE.
175
XVI. Principal causes of sickness .—Compared with former years, this year gives an enor
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mous increase in the number of admissions into hospital. Under no classes of diseases is this
increase more apparent than under fevers, particularly that of the intermittent type, and bowel
complaints. Doubtless many causes combine in the production of this great amount of sick
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ness. The autumn months have, throughout the Punjab generally, been remarkable as unusual
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ly unhealthy; a fact in a great measure attributable to the widespread flood which occur
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red in July and August I think I am correct in stating that no other station in the Punjab
was more subjected to the influence of this malaria-producing agent, and that no other regi
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ment was placed under circumstances more unfavourable to the men's health. For days a large
tract of water lay in and around cantonments, soaking into the ground, and helping, by its
presence, in the decomposition of the vegetable matter with which the place abounds. That
fact alone would be sufficient to account for the prevalence of ague. When in addition to it are
taken into consideration, that the barracks were washed away ; that the men were obliged to
encamp on the damp ground; that their duties were increased; and that just as they were
recovering from the effects of all these, their tents were taken away by a regiment proceeding
on field service, and they were left for a week—during which there was some heavy rain—with
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out any shelter, the wonder is that the sickness was not even greater than it has been. Bowel
complaints, dysentery and diarrhœa, come next to fevers ; of the former there were 120 cases,
of the latter 63. Between the 1st of January and the 25th of August, there were only 15
cases of dysentery admitted into hospital ; from the 25th of August to the end of the year,
there were 105. Of these 63 were admitted at head-quarters, 8 at the depôt, and 34 in the
detachments which left for Dera Bugti and Dadur. That the exposure to cold and wet above
alluded to caused some of this great increase there can be little doubt, but there can be less
doubt that the greater part of it was due to the use of impure water. Nowhere was this fact
more patent than at Mithankote, where the regiment was encamped; there the men were in the
habit of procuring their drinking water from a stream which leaves the Indus some 4 or 5
miles north of Mithankote, takes a semi-circular course, and joins the river again close to the
camping ground. The banks of this stream were made use of by most of the inhabitants of
the place for purposes of nature. Impurities of the worst description naturally found their way
into the water. While the current was strong they seem to have been carried away rapidly, but
when it slackened, as it soon did, the water becoming almost stagnant, they exerted a most
deleterious influence on the men's health, as can be seen in the fact that 34 cases of dysentery
and 13 cares of diarrhœa occurred between the 18th of November and 6th of December. At
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tention was then directed to the drinking water. It was procured from a different source, a
well situated about half a mile from the camp, with an eminently satisfactory result, as from
that date to the end of the year there were only 8 admissions from dysentery and 8 from diar
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rhœa. The cases of dysentery which occurred in the Dera Bugti and Dadur detachments are
altogether due to the use of impure water. Here, in many instances, the men had no choice.
The water on the road was very scarce, as might be imagined where the road chiefly lay across
sandy desert plains, and up the stony beds of dried-up hill torrents. Now and then fair water was
found, but in many instances the men were obliged to drink from stagnant pools, which con
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tained water of the foulest description. Chest affections rank third as causes of sickness. The
number of cases of bronchitis is less than that of last year ; the number of cases of pneumonia
more. The greatest number of admissions from bronchitis occurred in January, when the
regiment was stationed at Dera Ismail Khan, and en route to Dera Ghazi Khan. There were 40
admissions at head-quarters and 7 in the detachment at Dera Ghazi Khan during that month.
The remainder of the year gives only 32 admissions. There were 9 admissions from pneumonia;
1 in January, 1 in February, 1 in April, 1 in November, and 5 in December. Of the latter,
1 was at head-quarters and 4 in detachments. Next to chest affections, in their order as
causes of sickness, come diseases of the skin, muscular rheumatism, blisters of the feet, general
debility, colic, congestion of the spleen, and chronic rheumatism. Blisters of the feet have
increased in numbers, as compared with last year. This result is in a great measure due to long
marches over bad roads.
Principal
causes of
sickness.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— The total number of deaths during the year was
25. Of these 16 occurred at head-quarters, 15 in hospital, and 1 out of hospital ; 2 occurred in
detachment hospitals, 3 in the depôt hospital, and 4 men died at their houses. Of the 20 deaths
in hospital, 4 were from simple continued fever, 2 from ague (a ), 3 from remittent fever, 1 from
apoplexy, 4 from acute bronchitis, 2 from pneumonia, 1 from tonsillitis, 2 from dysentery, and
1 from calculus (vesical). The death at head-quarters, out of hospital, was from a gunshot
wound (suicidal). It was the case of a Sikh sepoy, who for some offence was awarded at the
orderly-room, on the 12th of July, thirty days' confinement to barracks. He returned from
the orderly-room to the lines, sat outside his quarters for half an hour or so, during which time
he did not enter into conversation with any of his comrades. He then went inside, opened his
cartridge case, took out one round, carefully tied up the packet again, and replaced it in his pouch,
then having placed the muzzle of the loaded rifle under his chin, he is supposed to have pulled
the trigger with his toe. Death must have been instantaneous. The bullet entered above the
curved cartilage, and passed out about the region of the occipital protuberance. Of the re
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maining 4 deaths out of hospital, 2 (one that of a native officer at home on sick leave, and one
that of a sepoy at home on furlough) were from acute bronchitis, 1 (that of a sepoy on sick
leave) from ague, and 1 (that of a sepoy on sick leave) from ascites.
Principal
causes Of
mortality.