89
ROHILCUND DIVISION.
VII. Conservancy and latrines.—Moveable screens on wheels placed over trenches have
been used as latrines, and the number at Bareilly was sufficient for the use of the whole regi-
ment. The trench system is undoubtedly the best that has yet been introduced; but it is
difficult to convince the native soldier that it is so, for I see many of them prefer the neigh-
bouring fields, nullahs, or any place that is isolated, or suitably covered for the purpose. The
system nevertheless worked fairly Well at Bareilly, and the ground covered was cultivated.
At Umballa the trench system is also in use, but the number of latrines is too small, and they
are placed too far from the lines. I have reported the defects, and suggested improvements
which are I believe being attended to.
VIII. Water-supply, —The water-supply at Umballa is ample and of good quality. It is
obtained from pucka wells, and from a small reservoir fed by the aqueduct that runs from the wells.
sunk in the bed of the Tangra river. The water from the Tangra wells has however to be drawn
by bullocks in the first instance, and is rather an expensive mode of supplying the whole canton-
ments ; so another scheme is now being carried out, and the difference between this one and
the other is at the source of supply. Instead of the mouth of the masonry duct being supplied
with water by means of bullocks, it will receive an even flow from a well, which being natural
-ly placed at a much higher level than the cantonments, will be conveyed and distributed all
over the station ; and as the water is surrounded by masonry from its source, to wherever
may be delivered, pollution is practically impossible.
XIV. Hospi t al. — T h e h o s p i t a l a t U m b a l l a a f f o r d s a m p l e a n d V e r y g o o d a c c o m m o d a t i o n i n
ordinary times, but is wanting in isolated wards, and is in this respect inferior to the Bareilly
cavalry hospital. It is in excellent repair.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the regiment :—
Present .
.
. . ,
.
. .
.
. . 386 76
Absent
. .
. . ,
.
.
. . . . 68.23
Total . . 454.99
Conservancy
and latrines.
Water-supply.
Hospital .
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength:
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
a v e r a g e
n u m b e r o f s i c k .
PER CENT. OF STRENGT
H PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
A d m i s -
s i o n s
Deaths.
D a i l y a v e r a g e
sick.
Head-quarters at Bareilly . 1st Jan. 1878 22nd Oct. 1878
3 4 4 . 8 5
278
2
1 1 . 0 6 80.61 .57 3.20
Ditto marching . 23rd Oct. „ 1 th Nov. .,
Ditto
at Umballa . 19th Nov. .„ 31st Dec. „
Detachment at Moradabad 1st Jan. „ 26th Oct. „
41.91 14.
. . .
.58 33.40 ... 1.38
TOTAL
...
...
386.76 292
2 11.64 75.49 .51 3.01
Number of deaths in hospital 2; out of hospital 1; total
3 ; per cent, of total strength .
.65
„ invalided . . . . . . . .
13 ; ,,
, ,
.
2.85
„ sent on sick leave
. . . .
. .
0 ;
, ,
.
0
„ of days spent in hospital 4,250; per admission
14.55; per man of total strength .
9 . 3 4
,,
„
on sick leave 1 440; per man
.
110; „
, ,
.
. 9 6
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. 10.30
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—Although the daily average sick of the year shows
an increase of nearly one-half on 1877, the health of the regiment nevertheless was very good
until the middle of September, when the usual autumnal fevers began to swell the list of
admissions and continued to do so in daily increasing numbers up to the very day we left
.Bareilly; but during the march to Umballa it almost entirely ceased, and this too very soon
after we commenced camp life. There were only a few cases of fever in 1877. The sick I took
away with me from Bareilly remained however in a very weak state of health for some time,
though ultimately without exception, they all recovered. The change into camp had a most
beneficial effect on the health of the regiment generally. Out of the 292 admissions, 120 were
due to fevers (including a ease of febricula) giving for them alone over 41 per cent. of the
whole. In type the fever was, in the majority of the cases, a very mild quotidian, and a brisk
purgative followed by the cinchona febrifuge in 8-grain doses readily effected a cure. But I
also consider the powdered bonduc nut with black-pepper not only a cheap but a very efficacious
antiperiodic in these mild cases of fever. No quinine has been indented for since April 1876,
as the above remedies have proved equally efficacious in the majority of the cases that I have
had to treat in the regiment, though of course as an antiperiodic quinine must always be looked
-upon as the sovereign remedy in remittent and other severe types of malarious fevers.
1 On the 1st January 1878 there were 4 men absent on sick leave from the previous year.
Principal
causes of
sickness.