80
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
Inspection. •
Inspection.—This regiment was inspected at Agra on the 10th March 1879
by Deputy Surgeon-General A. Christison, M.D., Who expresses himself satisfied
with the general medical intendance. There are no observations on the severe
sickness which befel this corps, from a week after landing at Cyprus until the
beginning of the hot season of 1879, so well and carefully described by Surgeon-
Major L. F. Dickson, M.D., in his annual report.
8th Regiment, Aatibe Infantry—Agra.
Medical
Officers.
Location and
movements.
Diet and
food-supply.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
I. Medical Officers.—Surgeon A. Scott Reid, M.B, held medical charge
throughout the year. Sur-
geon W. B. Smyth, M.D., was
attached for duty to the regi-
ment from the 10th April to
the 20th May, and from the
15th June to the 1st October.
II. Location and move-
men ts.—The head- quarters
of the regiment were station-
ed at Agra from the 1st
January to the 14th October.
On the latter date they pro-
ceeded by rail to Umballa,
where they remained from
the 15th October to the end of the year.
IX. Diet and food-supply.—In view of the difficulty of obtaining vegetables in Um-
balla, I indented for and received a supply of lime-juice, which I used freely among the men
who were admitted into hospital, they unfortunately representing a large proportion of the
strength at head-quarters. Two companies, B and C, the former consisting of Pathans and the
latter of Sikhs, have always been in the habit of' having their food cooked together by regimental
" langris," and lately a third, F. company, comprising Hindustani-Mussulmans, has adopted
the same plan. Were the system of messing completed by the food being in common and the
shares alike, all inducement to under-feeding would be avoided.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment :—
Present . . .
.
.
.
.
. .
. . 6 6 4 . 8 9
Absent
. .
. 32.31
Total . . 697.26
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873 . Fyzabad, Jan. 1873 .
110.8
2.63
3 . 2 7
1874 . Ditto
91.2
1 . 7 3
2.95
1875 . Ditto
.
122.63
. 8 5
2.78
1876 . Agra, 21st Jan. 1876 .
91.9
1.43
3.28
1877 . Ditto
64.04
2.
2.32
Average . .
96.11
1.73
2.92
1878 . Agra . . . .
187.7
2.
7.82
STATION.
PERIOD.
TOTAL NUMBER OF
Daily
average
n u m b e r o f s i c k .
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Strength.
A d m i s -
sions. Deaths
Admis
- sions. Deaths. Daily
average sick.
Head-quarters at Agra . 1st Jan. 1878 14th Oct. 1878 511.64 1,029
9 42.37 201.11 1.75 8.28
Ditto
Umballa 15th Oct. „ 31st Dec. „
Detachment at Muttra . 1st Jan. „ 15th Mar. „
88.
11 . . .
1 . 8 1 61.65 ... 2.05
Ditto
Morar
. 4th „ „ 20th Jan. „
3 2 4 .
5 ...
1.29 33.06 ...
.39
Ditto
Fattehgarh 18th April „ 10th Oct. „
142.40 66
2
5.34 96.10 2.90 3.75
Ditto
Simla
. 10th Oct. „ 1st Dec. „
139.88 60 ...
6.62 295.37 ... 4.73
Depôt at Agra . . . 15th „ „ 31st „ „
113.16 77
1 26.28 318.39 4.11 23.22
TOTAL . .
. . .
. . .
664.89 1,248
12 52.01 187.70 1.80 7.82
Number of deaths in hospital 12; out of hospital 2; total
14; per cent. of total strength .
2.00
„ invalided . . . . . . . .
24 ; „
. .
3.44
„ sent on sick leave. . . . . . .
31 ; ,,
. .
4.44
,. of days spent in hospital 18,984; per admission 15.21; per man of total strength . 27.22
„
on sick leave 4,483; per man
. 144.61; „
,,
.
. 6.43
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. . 33.65