146
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number
of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENG
TH PER ANNUM.
From
To
sions. Deaths.
Admi
s-sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Sherghashi .
.
.
. 1st Jan. 1878 28th Feb.1878 162.57
41
...
4.22 152.20
. . .
2.59
Mardan
.
.
.
. 1st March „
28th April „
157.18
53
...
5.46 208.3
. . .
3.47
Abbottabad .
.
. 29th April „
10th Oct. ,,
131.12
114
...
5.26 161.9
. . .
4.01
Jumrood
.
.
.
. 11th Oct. „
19th Nov. „
162.85
62
...
13.24 347.33
...
8.13
Afghan Campaign
. 20th Nov. ,,
31st Dec. „
160.76
52
...
7.50 281.05
...
4.66
TOTAL
.
.
...
.....
147.34
322
...
6.25 218.54
...
4.24
Number of deaths in hospital 0; out of hospital 2; total
2; per cent. of total strength .
1.22
„
invalided
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
7;
„
”
4.27
sent on sick leave .
„
.
.
.
.
.
.
0;
„
, ,
0
of days spent in hospital 2,281; per admission . 8.07; per man of total strength .
13.92
„
,,
,,
on sick leave 0; per man .
.
0;
„
, , . .
0
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength ..
13.92
Remarks by
the Command
ing Officer.
Remarks by the Commanding Officer. —The Commanding Officer points out that no less than
eight medical officers have been in charge of the battery during the past year, independently
of the occasions on which the hospital-assistant, a man of reputed inferior character, has been
in sole charge. The staff allowance of the battery charge, Rs. 25, is very inadequate, and on
occasions, such as service, when it comprises the sole charge of a medical officer, the officers in
charge cannot but seek for giving
r appointments givin them better pay and position, and thus the
medical charge of the battery is always given to the youngest and least experienced officers.
Though the work of the battery in a military point of view is heavy, often entailing severe double
marching, there is no authority for the issue of horse allowance to the medical officer. I am
of the opinion that when circumstances justify the placing of a medical officer in sole charge,
that the staff salary should be at least Rs. 100, or equal to the lowest salary drawn by comba-
tant officers of the native army, with an additional charge of Rs. 30 per mensem on all occa-
sions of the battery being employed on service; whilst the present salary of Rs. 25 a month
might continue as long as the battery charge was not the substantive appointment of the
officer in charge.
6th Regiment, Punjab Infantrg—Abbottabad.
Medical
0fficers.
Location and
movements.
Topography
and physical
geography.
I. Medical Officers.— Surgeon Bookey held charge of the regiment during
the year. Surgeon O'Connor
was in charge of the left
wing at Edwardesabad from
the beginning of the year
till the 10th of March.
II. Location and movements.
— A t t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t o f t h e y e a r
the head-quarters of the regiment
was at Shindi taking part in the
Jowaki- A fridi expedition. On the
9th of March the regiment moved
to Kohat, and on the 11th of March
left Kohat for Abbottabad, at
which station it arrived on the 21st
of the same month. The left wing
remained at Edwardesabad from
the commencement of the year till the 10th of March, when it left for Abbottabad, reaching
its destination on the 13th of that month.
III. Topography and physical geography.— The stations and districts of Abbottabad and
Bunnoo have been frequently described in previous reports. The positions occupied in the
Jowaki-Afridi expedition have been also reported on (see Annual Report for 1877).
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873
Dera Ismail Khan, Feb.
1872.
1.515
1.6
6.5
1874
Ditto
159.8
1.6
5.4
1875
Edwardesabad, 3rd Feb.
151.26
1.8
5.16
1876.
Ditto
119.45
2.8
3.41
1877
Ditto
120.08
3.13
3.83
Average
140.42
2.18
4.86
1878
Abbottabad, 13th March
100.83
1.07
9.66