60
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Principal
causes of mor
tality.
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Recommend-
ations.
Observations
and remarks.
Inspection.
Medical
Officers.
Conservancy.
Clothing.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness. —Ague (198 cases) as usual heads the list of diseases.
Then come contusions (95), which are common in a cavalry regiment. Conjunctivitis (35) comes
third, brought on or rather spread very much, I believe, by the flies that are always more
or less present among the horses in the lines, carrying about contagion between outsiders (a
great number of whom beggars, &c., have inflammation of the eyes to a greater or less degree)
and the men ;f o u r t h l y
d y s e n t e r y ( 2 3 ) , f o r w h i c h I c a n n o t s u g g e s t a n y l i k e l y r e a s o n ; a n d
lastly, boils (22) generally produced apparently more by local causes connected with their
duties in the saddle, such as "rubbing " or pulling out of a hair, than constitutional ones.
Syphilis gives only 3 admissions—rather an improvement on last year. The system therein
mentioned of inducing men to, give up. the name of the women from whom they contracted
the disease, with the view to her being handed up to the Cantonment Magistrate for treatment
in the proper hospital, has worked well in the regiment, and not only protects the men, but,
by encouraging them to come to the doctor at once, saves future trouble to themselves and to
the doctor the unpleasant duty of having possibly to send to the invaliding committee a man
who would have had otherwise years of good, efficient service before him.
XVII. Principal, causes of mortality. —The total number of deaths was 6:—1 at head-
quarters (pneumonia), I on detachment duty (hæmatemesis), and while absent at their homes
(dysentery, bronchitis, ague, and general debility from hæmatemesis).
Eighteen men were sent for change of air, with, on the whole, good results.
XVIII. Epidemics. —Non e.
X I X . V a c c i n a t i o n
— N o n e
s i n c e t h e l a s t r e p o r t . T h e r e g i m e n t i s v e r y w e l l p r o t e c t e d .
XX. Recommendations. —All made from time to time to the Officer Commanding have been
cordially supported.
XXI. Observations and remarks. —Under the head of remarks, Surgeon
Mackenzie deprecates the too rigid reliance on a fixed standard of chest mea-
surement as a test of the fitness of recruits for cavalry regiments. He would
give greater weight to other signs of physical aptitude than the mere girth of
the chest. He recommends a circular plan of hospital latrine, with entrance
doors outwards and a reservoir of dry earth in the centre, in preference to the
present straight design, as better calculated to ensure privacy. Colonel Mackenzie,
commanding the 3rd Regiment, approved of the circular plan ; but Deputy
Surgeon-General J. A. C. Hutchinson considers the accommodation afforded by
it as unnecessarily large for a cavalry hospital.
Inspection.—The regiment was inspected at Lucknow on the 16th Decem-
ber 1878 by Deputy Surgeon-General J. A. C. Hutchinson, M.D.
The report presented no feature of importance. The inspecting officer
notices the absence of " urinals " for the lines, and that the trenches when filled
up with latrine refuse were thereafter not cultivated. As regards the hospital
appliances and the condition of all medical arrangements, Dr. Hutchinson
seems to have been fully satisfied.
4th Regiment, Native Infantry—Lucknow.
I. Medical Officers. —Surgeon G. Palmer held medical charge of the regi-
ment during the year, with
the exception of a portion
of the months of September
and October, when. Surgeon
G. P. Mackenzie, 3rd Bengal
Cavalry, performed the
duties.
VII. Conservancy.—The canton-
ment authorities levy a tax of
one anna a head a month on all
adult natives resident in canton-
m e n t s , a n d p r o v i d e p r o p e r l a t r i n e
accommodation for them. A simi-
lar tax is imposed on the camp-
followers of the regiment.
X . C l o t h i n g .
—During the year there were 158 admissions for blisters of the feet. The boot
worn is of the ammunition pattern, the leather is indifferent as to quality, and is with great
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. Or STRENGTH.
Admissions. Death. Daily sick.
1873
. Bhagulpore
. .
96.04
1.49
3.9
1874
.
Ditto
.
.
.
58.7
.71
1.94
1875
.
Ditto and Nya Doomka
94.74
.39
3.49
1876
.
Ditto
ditto
.
74.24
1.31
2.83
1877
. Lucknow, March 1877.
66.32
.72
1.94
Average
.
.
78.01
.92
2.82
1878
. Lucknow
.
.
.
145.10
.58
4.38