58
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OP THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
had. not then been received. Mr. Perkins observes on an important article of
clothing :—" The native shoes in use by the men have been found to answer
well in Central India, but will, I think, not be found to answer so well
where snow, wet, and mud have to be encountered. I still have a strong
prepossession for well-fitting light ammunition boots, with the leather properly
softened. "
Mhairwarrah Battalion—Ajmere.
Medical Ifficer
Location an,
movements.
Clothing.
Sickness,
mortality and
in validing.
Drainage.
Water-supply.
I. Medical Officers. —Dr. Murray, Civil Surgeon of Ajmere, held medical
charge of the regiment from
the 1st of January to the 21st
of October ; Surgeon J. H.
Newman, from the latter
date to the end of the year.
II. Location and movements.—
The head-quarters of the regiment
were at Ajmere without change
until October 26th, when the men
having volunteered for service on
the frontier, the entire battalion
left that station en route to
Peshawar, arriving by train at
Jhelum on October 31st. The re-
giment reached Peshawar on the
30th November, and that night
during a double march the batta-
lion went on to Jumrood.
V I . D r a i n a g e .—
S
a m e
a s f o r m e r l y .
VIII. Water-supply. —As before in Ajmere. At Jumrood water was obtained from a
small river flowing some 400 yards distant from the camp. The stream makes its exit from the
hills a few miles south of the Khyber Pass, and seems to originate in springs amongst the
heights beyond Ali Musjid. The water was not clear, cloudy in appearance, yielding after
standing a considerable earthy sediment. A rough filter was made at the side of the stream
by building in the sand and shale a reception tank, into which the water was conducted by a
drain running from some distance above in the course of the stream, which here fell rapidly.
The water from this reservoir filtered through a thick bank of sand and pebbles into a small
tank dug on the lower side and lined with stone. A very appreciable improvement was thus
caused both in the appearance of the water and in lessening of the suspended matter.
X. Clothing.—An extra provision of a wadded under-coat, a pair of putties or flannel
bandages in lieu of gaiters, and a pair of warm socks and gloves per man was made by regi-
mental arrangement. When marching, the use of native shoes was permitted, resulting in a
very moderate number of admissions from foot-sore.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the regiment :—
Present
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. .
. 603.84
Absent
. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 103.05
Total
.
. 706.89
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
.
averae
number
of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
T o
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis-
sions Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Ajmere, on
the march, and at Jumrood.
1st Jan. 1878 31st Dec. 1878
498.83
852
11
33.59 170.80
2.20
6.73
Wing at Nusserabad .
. 15th „
„
1st Feb.
„
257.66
1 ...
.42
7.30
...
.16
Detachment at Sambhur
. 1st
„
„
21st Oct. „
51.63
153
1
5.72 347.69
2.27
10.47
Ditto at Beawur
.
Ditto
. 24th „
„
55.21
32
2
1.26 71.23 4.45
2.28
Ditto at Ajmere
. 26th Oct. „
31st Dec. „
43.2
4
. . .
1.44 50'44.
...
3.33
TOTAL
.
. . .
...
603.84 1,042
14
39.58 172.56
2.31
6.55
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873
. Ajmere
.
.
108.7
1.33
4.7
1874
.
Ditto
.
.
.
139.5
.85
4.84.
1875
.
Ditto
.
.
.
123.65
.56
4.79
1876
.
Ditto
.
.
.
117.72
.64
4.76
1877
.
Ditto
.
.
.
120.79
.56
5 53
Average
.
.
122.07
.79
4.92
1878
. Ajmere ; marched on
active service to Af-
ghanistan, Oct. 26th.
172.56
2.40
6.55
Number of deaths in hospital 14; out of hospital 3; total
17; per cent, of total strength .
2.40
,, invalided . . . . . . . . 23;
„
3.96
, , sent on si ck l eave . . . . . . . 35; „ .
.
4.95
,, of' days spent in hospital 14,446; per admission . 13'65; per man of total strength
.
20.43
„
on sick leave 2,419; per man .
. 6 9 ' 9 7 ;
„ .
.
3.16
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
.
.
23.89
Inspection.
Note. —Owing to its sudden departure on field service beyond the north-
west frontier, this regiment was not inspected at the close of 1878.