PUNJAB FRONTIER FORCE. 153
STATION.
PERIOD
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admi s -
ions . Deaths
Admis- s i o n s . Deaths.
Daily
average sick.
Head-quarters on service . 1st Jan. 1878 6th Mar. 1878 419.44 132
1 21.83 145.94 1.29 5.20
,,
at Mardan . 7th Mar. „ 2nd Oct. „ 887.77 1,170
3 54.94 229.06 .52 6.18
„
on service . 3rd Oct. „ 31st Dec. „ 827.33 1,166
2 136.49 571.54 .97 16.49
D e p ô t a t M a r d a n
. . 1st Jan.
„
6th Mar. „ 552.50 118 . . .
39.83 119.88 . . .
7.20
3rd Oct.
„
31st Dec. „ 148.56 114
3 70.10 311.18 8.15 47.11
TOTAL . .
...
. . .
885.84 2,700
9 91.80 304.90 1.01 10.36
Number of deaths in hospital 9; out of hospital 6; total
15; per cent. of total strength . .
1.45
„
invalided . . . . .
. . .
33; „
„
. .
3.23
„
sent on sick leave . . . . . .
34; „
„
. .
3.30
„ of days spent in hospital 33,507; per admission . 12.40; per man of total strength . . 32.52
„ „
on sick leave 0 ; per man . .
0; „
„
. .
0
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. . 32.52
XVI. Principal causes of sickness. —More than 50 per cent. of the entire number of ad
- m i s s i o n s w e r e f o r i n t e r m i t t e n t f e v e r s . O f t h e 1 , 4 8 9 a d m i s s i o n s o n a c c o u n t o f t h e s e f e v e r s , n o
less than 589 took place between October 4th and November 15th, while the corps was en
-camped in the Peshawar valley, which fully sustained its reputation for unhealthiness. The
circumstances attending field service just about doubled both the admissions to hospital and
the average number of daily sick. This increase was owing to bronchial catarrh, diarrhœa,
and intermittent fevers. I think there would have been less sickness amongst the native troops
had a meat ration been issued to them ; of course in such a way as not to traverse their customs,
and there is no difficulty about this.
Principal
Causes of
sickness.
No. 1 Mountain Battery—Kohat.
I. Medical Officers. —The battery was under the charge of several medical
officers in the course of the
year. Surgeon R. Moodie,
M. B. , . t o o k , o v e r me d i c a l
charge on the 31st .Decem
-ber, and writes the report.
II. Location and movements . —
During January and February
the battery was on field service in
.the Jowaki country. It returned
to Kohat in the beginning of
March; arriving there on the 7th
March. From this date till the
3rd October it remained at Kohat.
On the 3rd October it marched
for Jumrood, from which place it
returned towards the end of the
month, arriving in Kohat on the
28th of' October. It remained in
Kohat till the 8th of November, when it marched for Thull. It remained in Thull till the
morning of the 21st November, when it crossed the frontier with General Roberts' column.
It formed part of General Roberts' force in the operations in the Koorum Valley, and took
part in the action at the Peiwar Kotul. On the 27th December it returned to Hazir Pir, and
was encamped there at the close of' the year.
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873
. Dera Ismail Khan, Jan.
1872
.
219.5
9
4.4
1874 . Ditto
.
.
.
229.6
...
6.2
1875 . Edwardesabad, Jan.
1875
. . 213.12
1.88
4.07
1876 . Ditto
. . .
186.87
1.91
3.86
1877 . Kohat, Jan. 1877
.
274.72
.66
4.4
Average . .
224.76
1.07
4.58
1878 . Kohat
. . . 429.96
2.47
7.03
Medical
Officers.
Location and
movements.
X. Clothing.—In the warm weather the men wore " khaki" drill ; in the cold weather blue
cloth. For field service each man has a puttoo vest, a poshteen, and a choga. Putties are worn
on the legs. Native shoes are worn on service, and, as a rule, in cantonments, although the
men have boots for parades.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the battery :—
Present.
.
. . . . .
145.13
Absent.
.
.
. .
16.87
Total
.
. 162.00
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
0 1