23
POONA DIVISION OF THE ARMY.
of last year. There were 175 admissions for fever during the ten months in Belgaum and
54 during the last two mouths while the Regiment was marching; in all 229 cases or nearly
50 per cent. of total admissions. Diarrhœa gave 13 admissions on the march and only 6 in
Belgaum, total 19. Dysentery 7 on the road and 11 in Belgaum, total 18. Respiratory
diseases 13 on the road and 15 in Belgaum, total 28. Venereal 22 in Belgaum and 8 on the
road; of the latter the largest admissions were from the men who remained in Vingorla with
the 2nd and 3rd detachments. Thus it will appear that the largest ratio of admissions was
obtained during the two months that the regiment was marching, especially with regard to
fever, diarrhœa, dysentery, and respiratory diseases. Of the 22 cases of venereal contracted
in Belgaum,m o s t
o f t h e m c a m e f r o m w o m e n r e s i d i n g i n S h a h p u r , w h e r e t h e y c a n e v a d e t h e
lock hospital rules with impunity.
11. There were three deaths in hospital, from cholera 1, remittent fever 1, ague and
acute phthisis 1. In the lines one man died of self-inflicted (gunshot) wound of the abdomen, penetrating through the
chest. Besides the above, reports have been received of the death of one native officer
and two men while on leave; and one havildar left behind sick at the hospital 15th Regiment N. I. at Ahmedabad.
12. As stated already, there was one fatal case of cholera in January; since then there
Mortality and its causes.
Epidemics.
have been no admissions from this cause, but malarious fevers
have prevailed more so than last year. There was one case of
chicken-pox in June.
12. Vaccination was carried on until the Regiment left Belgaum. There were total
Vaccination and re-vaccination.
61 primary vaccinations, as follows:—1 European child and
60 natives; of these, 35 were boys and 26 girls. All were
successful, those who failed at first having been successfully vaccinated in the course of the
year. There were no re-vaccinations of children, but 10 recruits were re-vaccinated during
the year and were successful. Only those were vaccinated on whom there were no small-pox
marks, or who having been vaccinated previously did not bear good cicatrices.
14. Five men were invalided before a Special Board and 31 men by the General In
validing Board. One native officer and one private were
invalided for having served over 32 years, qualifying for full
pension. In all 38 men were invalided during the year. Of these there were 20 for general.
debility, 1 sciatica, 2 palpitation of heart, 8 old age and worn out, 1 defective vision, 1
chronic scurvy, 2 chronic bronchitis, 1 psoriasis of the palms of the hands and feet, 1 partial
strabismus, and one loss of toe, right foot. Besides these, 1 recruit was discharged for
hepatic disease.
There were also 14 men sent on sick leave to their native villages, in Hindoostan, the
Punjab, and the Concan. Of these 4 for ague, 1 asthma, 2 dysentery, 1 gastrodynia, 3
bronchitis. 1 syphilis secondary, 1 Chronic rheumatism, and 1 wound of hand. There were
two European officers sent on medical certificate to appear before the Medical Board in
Bombay for furlough to Europe for hepatic complaints, 1 from Belgaum and 1 from Ahmed
abad. The former was granted one year and the latter two years' furlough on medical certifi-
cate. There was also one officer sent on sick leave to Poona last year, who was recommend-
ed by the Medical Board in Bombay to appear before the Medical Board in London. He is
still in Europe. In all, three officers have gone to Europe on medical certificate.
15. Thorough drainage of the fields to the south of the lines is essentially necessary. The
Invaliding and its causes.
Requirements and recommend
ations.
men of the 14th Regiment N. I., whose lines are nearer to
these rice fields, suffered even more than the men of the 2nd
Grenadiers; and if the statistics of the two Native Regiments
stationed in Belgaum are examined for the past ten years, it will be observed that the Re
g i m e n t w h i c h
o c c u p i e d l e f t
f l a n k
n o w o c c u p i e d b y t h e 1 4 t h R e g i m e n t N . I . , h a v e
suffered yearly more than the Regiment occupying the right flank lines, occupied during
the year by the 2nd Grenadiers, who suffered more from fever than in the last year, in conse-
quence of the inundation of the rice fields already noticed, and this building of a bund as a
famine relief work, which keeps the water in, has proved to be very injudicious, as was, I
understand, pointed out at the time by Dr. Hewlett, the Sanitary Commissioner, during his
visit to Belgaum.
16. The proximity to the lines of the native town of Shahpur, where all hygienic
Special observations, new ex
periences in treatment, &c. &c.
principles are disregarded, including the Contagious Diseases
Act, add materially, both directly and indirectly, to the ill
health of the men of the Native Regiments, and it would
be
very desirable either to compel the Shahpur authorities to attend to all the sanitary rules
in force in the Cantonment of Belgaum, or that the place be purchased by the British
Government, as suggested by Dr. Hewlett in his Sanitary Report.