152
MEDICAL AND SANITARY. REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
Thirty-five recruits were enlisted during the year, six of whom were on arrival at Abbottabad
rejected as physically unfit.
corps of guides (Queen,s omn)—mardan.
Medical
Officer.
Location and
movements.
Clothing.
Exercise and
amusements
Marches and
service.
Pneumonia.
I. Medical Officer .—Surgeon Kelly continued in medical charge of the
corns throughout the year.
II. Location and movements . —
In the beginning of the year the
head-quarters of the regiment was
on service in the Jowaki expedi-
tion, and became rejoined to the
depôt at Mardan on March 6th.
It remained at Mardan until the
3rd October, when it again pro-
ceeded on service in the Afghan
campaign. Throughout the year
a detachment of 14 men was
absent at Gilgit. A few men
were also absent at Roorkee, un-
d erogoin g instrnction
X. Clothing .— Admissions for
blisters of the feet are fewer than
in any regiment I have been with, and this is attributable to the very general habit of wearing
chupplies (sandals). This variety of native shoes leaves the upper part of the foot uncovered
and therefore unpressed upon; it also having no sides, allows free expansion of the foot in walk-
ing, and makes distortion and over-riding of the toes impossible. This is the best solution of the
"shoe question" 1 have seen. To all the advantages of walking barefoot, it adds the protection
of a non-sensitive sole. Many European officers adopted this form of shoe, and the officer in
charge of the survey operations told the writer that no other give him such facility in hill-
–climbin g.
XII, Exerczse ana amusements.—The men excel in an athletic amusements, generally
maintaining the first place in inter–regrimental contests
XIII. Marches and service .—Of the Jowaki expedition I had no experience. The head-
quarters of the corps left Mardan on the 3rd of October under orders for service in the
Cabul campaign. The distance from Nowshera to Peshawar, more than 20 miles, was done in
one march, and not a man fell out. The corps went into camp at Jumrood until the date of the
advance, and during those six weeks its sickness was greater than at any time after the ad-
– v a n c e p r o p e r t o o k p l a c e . S o m e i d e a o f t h i s w i l l b e o b t a i n e d f r o m t h e f o l l o w i n g f i g u r e s : — O n
arrival at Peshawar on the 4th of October, the infantry, out of a strength of 508, had only 3
in hospital ; whereas on the 12th. of November there was 200 in hospital out of a strength of
584, that is, 34 per cent. of the strength present, were unfit for duty. The causes of this
excessive sickness were: fevers, dysentery, and diarrhœa ; they in turn being no doubt the ex-
pression of the notorious unbealthiness of the Peshawar valley._
Pneumonia ,—The singular immunity of the Guides from pneumonia during the recent
campaign is worthy of note. For example, at Dakka in the end of November, when the 14th
sikhs had as many as six deaths from pneumonia in one night, the Guides had not even
me case of this disease in hospital. The reason is not far to seek : each man of the Guides
before starting on service was provided with a poshteen and a waistcoat, while the 14th Sikhs
had neither.
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873 . Mardan
. . .
169.4
. 9 5.9
1874
. Ditto
.
. . 127.6
. 8 1 4.7
1875 . Ditto
. . .
157.78
. 6 3 5.71
1876 . Ditto
.
. . 136.97
1.55
4.76
1877
. Ditto
. . .
166.54
. 6 4 5.6
Average .
. 151.66
. 9 0 5.33
1878 . Mardan and active service
in Afghanistan . . 304.9
1.45
10.36
Hospital.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
- XIV. H o s p i t a l
. — T h i s i s a d a r k , d i s m a l , i l l - v e n t i l a t e d b u i l d i n g , s i t u a t e d i m m e d i a t e l y a b o v e
the main sewer of the fort. In no way is it suited for a hospital; neither in size, lighting,
ventilation, nor position. The offensive smell from the sewer during the morning visit to the
hospital, at which time it is usually being cleared, is almost sickening. The cubic capacity of
the building is 14,448 feet. Fixing the average number of daily sick at 40 (a low average),
the amount of cubic space available for each sick man (making no deduction on account of
sick attendance and the space taken up by charpoy, bedding, &c.) would be 361 cubic-feet. The
sick, it is well-known, require a larger cubic space than men in health. The Royal Indian Sani-
tary Commission recommended that each man should have 1,500 cubic feet. There had not a
fair chance of keeping their health in barracks like these or of regaining it when lost in such,
an unhealthy one as this is. Although the practice of allowing the sick to live in their lines
where they have a hospital is one to be condemned, it is, in the interests of the men, preferable
to detaining them in this dark and depressing hospital.
XV. Sickness, mortality, and invaliding .—Strength of the corps :—
present . .
. .
. .
. .
.
. . 885.84
Absent .
. . .
. .
.
. .
.
. 144.43
Total .
. 1030.27