44
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
interval (to improve the tone of the heart), besides soup and stimulants. The man
gradually rallied, was sent on sick certificate to his own country for a time, and has since
returned to duty.
(b) A fatal case of tetanus, following a slight contusion of the toe. The man died
twelve hours after seizure, in spite of treatment, which consisted of chloral and belladonna,
chloroform-inhalation, &c.
(c) A case of acute hepatitis, in which chloride of ammonium (given with the usual
precautions as to the excretory functions, &c.) appeared to have no effect, but which rapidly
improved under the influence of large doses of ipecacuanha.
(d) A case of pleurisy with effusion, in which I employed the aspirator with much
advantage, withdrawing twenty-four ounces of fluid. The man recovered, and went away on
sick certificate. He has since returned to duty, and the lung is now restored to its original
position.
(e) A case of sudden death in a man in hospital for "diarrhœa"; his death is therefore
registered under that heading. His disease had at once yielded to treatment; he had had no
diarrhœa for twenty-four hours, and was apparently quite well ; he died quite suddenly, and
I attributed his death to heart-disease, but having no dead-house, and every corner of my
hospital being occupied at the time, I was unable to make any post-mortem examination.
(f) A singular case of dislocation of the jaw in a man who was in hospital for bronchitis.
It must have occurred during the night without the patient's knowledge, for he awoke
in the morning with his mouth fixed open and not knowing what had happened, attributed
his condition to supernatural influence ! I found both condyles dislocated forwards, there
was but little difficulty in reducing them, and the case did well.
The families of the regiment suffered from sickness to a much greater extent than usual.
As an instance of this, I may mention that the twenty-four recruit-boys alone furnished 119
admissions with one death.
670 individual men contributed to furnish the total of 2,097 admissions in the following
proportion:—
140 men admitted once,
giving 140 admissions.
150
" twice "
300
"
133
"
thrice "
399
"
118
" f o u r t i m e s "
472
"
61
"
five times "
305
"
26
" s i x t i m e s
"
156
"
24
"
seven times "
168
"
10
" eight times "
80
"
5
"
nine times "
45
"
1
" t e n t i m e s "
10
"
2
"
eleven times "
22
"
Total . . .
6 7 0 different men.
Total . . .
2 , 0 9 7 admissions.
Thirty-five men were granted sick leave to their own country for periods varying from
one to six months, the causes being as follows :—16 ague, 4 debility, 2 scurvy, 4 bronchitis,
1 hemiplegia, 2 congestion of the spleen, 1 pleurisy, 1 dyspepsia, 2 rheumatism, 1 phthisis,
and 1 diarrhœa.
11. Ten deaths occurred in hospital, two from ague, one each from remittent fever,
diarrhœa (already referred to), tetanus, scurvy, and pneumonia,
one from phthisis, and two from debility. One sudden death
occurred out of hospital in the lines.
12. The only disease which can be said to have prevailed in an epidemic form is ague,
from which, as already mentioned in para. 8 of this report, the
regiment was almost prostrate and helpless in the months of
September and October. I am unable to attribute the epidemic to any other causes than
those already referred to in paras. 2 and 9 of this report.
Mortality and its causes.
Epidemics.
13. These have been duly attended to, the lymph being in the first instance obtained
from the public vaccinator in the city of Baroda, who at my
request brought the vaccinator to my hospital for my own
inspection, and arm-to-arm vaccination was afterwards maintained, the results being as shown
in the following table:—
Vaccination and re-vaccination.