Lines,
drainage and
conservancy,
water-supply,
diet, duty, &c,
Hospital.
Sickness,
mortality and invaliding.
Inspection.
126
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL,
the time they were without the shelter of tents, and many of them were insufficiently supplied
with warm clothing.
Note.—There was no inspection of this regiment during the year.
Medical
Officer.
Location and
movements.
Meteorology
and climate.
1st Regiment, Bengal Cavalry—Sialkot.
I. Medical Officer.—Surgeon-Major A. J. Dale, M.D., was in medical charge
of the regiment, who writes
the report.
II. Location and movements.
— T h e r e g i m e n t h a s r e m a i n e d a t
Sialkot the entire year, and has
given no detachment.
IV. Meteorology and climate
.—The cold season, from January to
March, was mild ; the hot Weather
setting in early and suddenly. In
May the heat became intense.
and continued so till middle of
July, when the rains commenced
and fell almost daily throughout
August ; during the six weeks the
fall was unusually heavy, 20 inches
being collected, or two-thirds of the
whole quantity for the year. This heavy downpour produced the usual result of inundating the
country immediately surrounding cantonments, and, by back flow, part of the cantonment itself.
The rains ceased at the end of August, and from 1st September till end of year there were
only two or three slight showers. The register kept by the Civil Surgeon shews 33 inches for
the year, against 31 for 1877 and 50 for 1876. During September, October, and part of Nov
- ember , t he heat was agai n gr eat ; i n December t he weat her began t o cool , and t owar ds i t s end
the cold became as intense as the heat had been in summer, the thermometer marking several
degrees below freezing-point and ice being largely collected. The long continued drought has
brought disastrous results to cultivation, the autumn crops are parched up, which, added to the
drain on previous stores for Cashmere and for the Kabul campaign, has forced up the rates for all
kinds of food grain to famine prices, causing much distress and suffering amongst the poorer
classes. Fortunately for the soldier, Government compensation relieved him from feeling this
scarcity to the same degree.
V.—XIII. Lines, drainage and conservancy, water-supply, diet, clothing, duty, amusements,
marches and service. —There is nothing to add under these headings to former reports, except
that the duty has been light, consisting only of regimental and garrison parades and guards,
allowing by weekly calculation 6 nights in bed out of 7.
XIV. Hospital.—The hospital accommodation has been ample, the wards never having been
occupied to half their capacity.
XV. Sickness mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the regiment :—
Present
.
. .
.
.
.
. .
.
.
. 404.64
Absent
. .
.
.
. .
. . .
.
. 51.24
Total
. . 455.88
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1873 . Cawnpore, Feb. 1872 .
81.4
1.7
3.8
1874 . Ditto
. . .
83.7
.8
2.8
1875 . Ditto
. . .
54.7
.27
.87
1876 . Sialkot, Feb. 1876
.
82.38
.26
2.79
1877 . Ditto
. . .
64.79
1.09
2.43
Average
73.39
.82
2.54
1.878 . Sialkot
.
.
.
68.95
.43
2.58
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
a v e r a g e n u m b e r o f
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
-
Admis- sions. Deaths.
Admis- sions. Deaths.
D a i l y
a ve r a ge sick.
Head-quarters, Sialkot
. 1st Jan. 1878 31st Dec. 1878 404.64 279
2 10.48 68.95 .49 2.58
Number of deaths in hospital 2; out of hospital 0; total
2 ; per cent. of total strength
.
.43
„
invalided . . . . . . . .
29 ; „ „
.
. 6 . 3 6
„ sent on sick leave . . . . . . .
7 ;
„ „
. . 1.53
„ of days spent in hospital 3,849; per admission . 13.79 ; per man of total strength
. 8 . 4 5
„ „
on sick leave 1,572 ; per man . . 224.57 ;
„
,,
. . 3.44
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. . 1 1 . 8 9
Like its two predecessors the year under review has been a healthy one for the regiment.
There has been but little sickness, and the prevailing diseases have been mild and amenable to