NORTHERN DIVISION OF THE ARMY.
generality ultimately preferring this arrangement to the cots themselves, which latter, with-
out adequate bedding, appear uncomfortable to sepoys in the trying cold weather here.
The infectious disease ward referred to in former reports has not yet been formed, but plans
and estimates have gone in to Government. When required, one ward of the adjoining
hospital block was used for this purpose, and in case of small-pox “unserviceable” tents
and grass huts were used. A vacant building for a “dead house” has been altered by the
addition of a few glazed windows, &c, and taken over during the year, and a hospital guard
room on standard plan was built, and has been in use since April last, thus doing away with
the former inconvenience of quartering the guard in the hospital verandah, an arrangement
which in both sanitary and other respects was objectionable.
8. The general health of the Regiment has considerably suffered during the past try-
ing malarious season, which, in addition to malarial disposition
previously engendered both at this station and at Mehidpur,
have contributed largely to flood the hospital especially during and after the recent mon-
soons with a severe and most unusual sick list of malarious fevers (vide the table of sickness
below). It is doubtful whether the Regiment will readily be in a fit state for active
service for some time to come without a change to a more suitable climate, for it may be here
added that out of about 70 men “volunteering” during the year for active service, about 51
per cent. were declared unfit by the Medical Board. Average height 5 feet 7¼ inches,
average round the chest 34½ inches. The general physique is good, but there has been
little room for improvement owing to the general indisposition and illness of the Regiment.
9. Owing to the general unhealthiness of the past year, the climate cannot be said to
General health and physique.
Influence of climate or local
circumstances on health.
have exerted other than a most injurious effect on the general
health, especially after the monsoon, when malarious fevers
after the heavy rainfull were endemic and of a more or less
severe and persistent form, attended with frequent recurrences (average about from three to
four times in the same individual) leading on to various complications, gastric, hepatic, or
splenic, and considerable general debility and anæmia, for which chiefly upwards of 30 men,
in addition to 15 in first part of year, had during that unfavourable season to be sent away
for change of air. This latter alternative has no doubt contributed much towards the
decrease of mortality and the speedy reduction, in some notable degree, of our sick list and
daily average number of sick which otherwise, it is feared, would have been much greater,
had these constant sickly inmates of the hospital been detained there any longer. It may be
added that though the number of invalids recommended for change was by no means on.
a par strictly with actual medical requirements, but at the suggestion of the Officer Com-
manding many other weakly and predisposed men were detained in the hope that time alone
with approaching cold weather might work a favourable change, the men being wanted, if
possible, for the many imperative duties of the Station, Regiment, &c. Many of these men
will however have eventually to proceed on medical certificate as early as practicable, prior to
any favourable result in health being apparent.
Details of treated.
10. Details of treated in Neemuch:—
Average strength actually present, exclusive of men on
escort and on command
1876.
1877.
1878.
378
604
648
Average daily sick
33.2
37.5
64.5
Admissions
1074
1155
1981
Total treated
1096
1185
1999
Proportion of sick to strength per cent
8.78
6.21
9.95
Admissions to strength per cent
284.13
191.23
305.71
Percentage of treated to strength
289.95
196.19
308.48
Deaths in hospital
3
1
8
Percentage of deaths to treated
0.27
0.08
0.40
Percentage of deaths to strength
0.79
0.17
1.23
Invaliding
21
22
28
Percentage of invaliding to strength
5.55
3.64
4.32
Recommended change of air
8
33
45
Percentage of men got change of air to strength
2.19
5.46
6.94
The foregoing table will afford an abstract of the comparative sickness, invaliding, and
mortality, &c. during the two years while the Regiment was at Neemuch, and one year with
a wing of the Regiment while at Mehidpur. It will be seen that during the year under
report the total number of treated was 1,999, of whom 18 remained from the former year.
Of admissions there were 1,981, the deaths in hospital were 8, and 1,969 were discharged to
15 m