Diet in
hospital.
Clothing.
Bedding.
Exercise and
amusements.
30 MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
fair allowance of them. Scurvy has not appeared during the year. Most of the men are
Goorkhas, and these probably consumed their rations of atta, together with some rice, habitu
-ally. Some of the men, probably most of the Jerwahs (who are rice-eaters like most Assam
-ese), having drawn their ration of atta on a cheap scale from the Commissariat, accumulate it
and sell it at enhanced rates to the bunniahs, and thus consume their rice with profit to
themselves. The Goorkha as a rule lives well, and underfeeding as an economic resource does
not to any extent prevail in this wing. Besides the regimental bazar, the station bazars have
ample supplies of all kinds for sale. The numerous cases of anæmia were not due to scurvy,
but to the general depression, enervation and feebleness of organic functions which Europeans
and natives alike suffer from during the hot months in this damp malarious climate.
Diet in hospital.—Extreme and constant care was taken by me to ensure that sick diets
were carefully prepared and really taken. I have daily inspected the soups of the sick on that
diet, and have constantly instructed the men in the proper methods of preparing this. Every
care has been taken to avoid offending in any way the religious prejudices of the men. In
serious cases the diet sheet has been affixed to the bed-head tickets, and its provisions rigidly
observed. Wine and such medical comforts and quiniue I have usually had administered to the
patients in my presence.
X. Clothing.—The clothing was as in previous years ; it is sufficient and adapted to the
climate. Each man has two pairs of uniform boots,—one pair of native and one of English
manufacture. These are, however, worn without socks of any kind. In consequence probably
of the men not taking sufficient care to keep them soft, many admissions from blistered and
abraded feet have taken place. The Officer Commanding and myself have been at infinite
pains to impress on the men how much their comfort and safety in actual warfare would depend
(for instance in a climate like that of Afghanistan) on their ability to march steadily in their
boots, and how easy it is to keep the boots soft and pliant by frequently working grease into
them by the hands in the sun.
Bedding.—Each man has one good blanket as part of his equipment; other bedding they
provide. As a rule, they are ordinarily well off in this respect. The Quarter Master's depart
- m e n t o f t h e w i n g h a s a l w a y s a s t o c k o f g o o d s t o u t b l a n k e t s o n s a l e t o t h e m e n a t l o w r a t e s .
During the year one thousand were purchased direct from the Bhutiahs (one of whose staple
products is these blankets) and are on sale to the men at about half the bazar rates for such.
The great-coats are warm and of good quality, from the Clothing Department, of the kind
issued to European troops. Great attention was paid to the comfort and necessities of the
men in hospital in respect to bedding. They, as a rule, brought their own ; when this was not
sufficient, blankets were issued from hospital stores. Both in uniform and in native undress,
the men as a rule look clean, comfortable, well provided, and soldierly.
XII. Exercise and amusements. —Route-marching took place weekly in the hot season.
Many of the men are keen sportsmen, and do much shooting both for sport and for the table.
A gymnasium has been erected in the lines, and the men exercise themselves on the parallel
bars, wooden horse, horizontal, bars, &c. Games of cricket (in which they occasionally join the
resident club) and rounders at times employ their spare time. In hot weather the officer
commanding the wing got up a weekly gymkhana; prizes of money and turbans were compet
-ed for in running, high and long jumping, and other athletic and humorous sports. In the cold
season seeds were procured from Sabarunpore, and the native officers were encouraged and as
-sisted in making vegetable gardens the produce of which was much esteemed by them and
formed a wholesome addition to their ordinary food.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the Left Wing :—
Present
.
. . .
.
. . .
.
. . 296.6
Absent
.
.
.
.
.
.
. . .
. . 143.4
Total
. . 440
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
F r o m
To
Admis- sions. Deaths.
Admis-
s i o n s . Deaths.
Daily
average sick.
Head-quarters, Gauhati . 1st Jan. 1878 31st Dec. 1878 155.71 362
3 10.69 232.48 1.92 6.86
Detachment, Tezpur . . Ditto
„ 20th Oct. „
107.3 172
1
5.45 160.3
93 5.07
Ditto,
Golaghat
. 20th Oct. „ 31st Dec. „
Ditto,
Samaguting . 30th April „
Ditto
„
47.7 122 ...
4.98 379.48 . . . 10.44
TOTAL .
...
...
296.6 656
4 21.12 221.17 1.34 7.12
Number of deaths in hospital 4; out of hospital 2; total
6; per cent. of total strength
. 1.36
„ invalided . . . . .
. . .
20; „
„ . .
4.54
„ sent on sick leave
. . . . . . .
4; „ „
. .
.90
„ of days spent in hospital 8,709; per admission . 13.27; per man of total strength
. 19.79
„ „
on sick leave 364; per man . .
91; „
„
. .
.83
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. _ . 20.62
Mortality.
XVII. Mortality.—Six deaths occurred during the year ; 4 in hospital, 2 out of hospital.
One case of phthisis died while on sick leave ; one case of pneumonia died in hospital at
Tezpur; one case bronchitis died out of hospital on road from Samaguting; three died in