MILITARY DEPARTMENT, 8TH SEPTEMBER 1879, No. 5000.
attributed to drink, and diarrhoea to intemperance in eating and drinking. At
Bellary most of the cases of diarrhœa occurring in 2/13th Regiment were put down
to climate aided by errors in diet and drink. In the Mysore Circle the Principal
Medical Officer remarks : " Dysentery is purely one of climate aided, I fear, fre
-quently by excess in drinking and irregular living generally, though of course it will
occur in men of the most temperate habits." Regarding hepatitis he offers no
remarks. Under the head of intemperance he observes : " the admissions from
this cause have been numerous." In the Royal Artillery, Bangalore, dyspepsia
is attributed to intemperance. The medical officer in charge remarks : " I am still
unsatisfied in my own mind whether much of the diarrhœa, dysentery, and hepatitis
so commonly met with at this station may not be due in a large percentage of
cases to the exposure of the body at night. It needs but few visits to the barrack
-room between the hours of 1 A.M. and 3 A.M. to notice how, in the unconscious
-ness of sleep, numbers of the men have thrown off all vestiges of covering, and, more
or less bathed in perspiration, are undergoing a rapid evaporating process under
the influence of the breeze which steals in through every door and window, so
gently indeed as not to cause any feeling of cold, but so effectively as to lay the
seeds of disease in organs predisposed to irritability from alcoholic indulgence or
ill-assimilated and badly-digested food." He considers it desirable that all men
should wear cummerbunds or cholera belts at night. In the 14th Hussars no
opinion is expressed as to the causation of these diseases. At Cannanore the
officer in medical charge of 48th Regiment states that the type of dysentery was
as a rule mild, but was frequently associated with hepatitis. He attributes it to
chills received when heated. The majority of the cases occurred in the wettest
months (July and August). He adds : " there can be little doubt that irregular diet
and intemperance to a large extent aggravated the disease, and in some cases caused
i t ; b u t t a k i n g t h e c a s e s a n d t i m e o f t h e y e a r a n d o t h e r c o n d i t i o n s , I c o n s i d e r t h a t
chills and atmospheric changes, particularly at night and during the rainy season,
have been the cause." He attributes the cases of hepatitis to chills caused by
throwing off the clothes when hot or sitting in a draught, but at the same time con
-siders intemperance and over-eating to be important factors in its production, more
particularly in the case of soldiers recently arrived from England, who, he considers,
eat too much animal food and partake too freely of spirits or malt liquor. Most
of the cases occurred during the colder months (November and January). The
cases of diarrhœa are ascribed to insufficiently masticated food. They prevailed
most in January, and the easterly wind then prevalent is considered to have aided
materially in their production. Dyspepsia was attributed to similar causes aided
by the abuse of stimulants. At Rangoon the majority of the cases of dyspepsia are
attributed to the abuse of stimulants, and in some cases to irregularities in diet.
Dysentery and diarrhœa are ascribed to the same causes, but in them climate is
regarded as having been an important factor in their production. In the Infantry
the majority of the cases of hepatitis are attributed to climate and free living. In
the Royal Artillery no definite cause is assigned. At Thyetmyo the majority of the
cases of dyspepsia were due to drink ; diarrhœa to climatic influences, errors in diet
and intemperance; dysentery to malarial and climatic causes ; hepatitis chiefly to
climate aided by the abuse of alcohol. At Tonghoo the dyspepsia in 44th Regiment
is attributed to drink. Regarding intestinal and hepatic diseases, climate was
believed to be the chief if not the sole cause. Intemperance did not appear to be
a factor, the greatest drunkards having had the fewest admissions. No blame
is attributed to diet ; chills at night are believed to have aided in their produc
-
tion. This is said to be unavoidable, as the men will not take the necessary
precautions to avoid them.
Urinary System.—The admission ratio, 113.69 per mille, exceeds that of 1877
by 6 . 30 per mile. One thousand and eight of the admissions were due to
gonorrhœa, 75 to balanitis, 38 to stricture, and 30 to gleet. There were no
deaths. Eight men were invalided, giving a ratio of .73 per mille, which is
almost identical with that of the year preceding. Of these four suffered from
stricture, three from Bright's disease, and one from incontinence of urine.
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