10
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
10. The average strength of the 25th Regiment N. L. I. at Aden and Perim during the
year amounted to 644, the total number of admissions into
hospital to 504, the daily average of sick to 35 .84, the percent
-age of treated to strength to 81·52, the percentage of admissions to strength to 76.01, and
the percentage of deaths to strength to 1 . 5. The total number of admissions into hospital at
head-quarters amounted to 457, and of these ague, as usual, furnished the lion's share.
The ague at Aden is not as a rule of a severe or well marked type amongst the sepoys,
who are not allowed into the interior. There can be no doubt, however, as far as my
experience goes, of the presence of a certain amount of-local malaria in or around the
settlement; but most of the cases which came under treatment during the year were relapses,
occurring in men who had suffered from ague in India. There are two classes of men in the
Regiment very liable to irregular attacks of intermittent fever on the slightest exposure to
vicissitudes of climate or fatigue, and these are those who suffered severely from the disease
at Mehidpoor, and others who have since joined, having their systems impregnated with
malaria, before they left their native villages. In all 107 cases of ague were admitted at Aden,
and 10 cases of simple continued fever. There were 11 admissions from ague in the Perim
Detachment. The usual treatment was pursued, and except in well marked cases, the
cinchonidine mixture was found sufficient to effect a cure. In well marked cases of ague,
I cannot however agree with those who consider it a saving to the State to administer the
cheap alkaloids instead of quinine. The length of time they take to cure an attack of
ague, favours the development of malarial cachexia, which renders the subject an almost
useless sepoy for the remainder of his service, and throws him on the pension list at an
early age.
Under diseases of the digestive system there were 78 cases of bowel complaints. These
were 21 of dysentery, 25 of diarrhœa, and 29 of colic. The causes of these admissions have
been already alluded to under the subjects of food, water, and climate, and I have nothing
further to add here. The remaining diseases of the digestive system, except dyspepsia,
deserve no notice, and this was more an accompaniment of other diseases, than a primary
cause of admission.
Contusions.—The number admitted into hospital under the head of contusion of right or
left foot amounted to 69, or nearly a sixth of the total treated. These were as usual nearly
all shoebites, due in some measure to carelessness, but chiefly to badly fitting boots. The
men wear the English ammunition boot, for which, bad as it is said to be, no better substitute
has as yet been proposed.
Scurvy. —Only thirty-eight cases of scurvy were admitted into hospital; but, as before
stated, this is no criterion of the extent to which the disease prevailed in the Regiment
during the year, as a large percentage of the men were receiving a daily ration of lime juice
in the lines. I have already expressed my opinion as to the probable cause of the complaint,
and the remedies likely to eradicate it, and have nothing further to add here on that part
of the subject. Two cases of scurvy proved fatal, but in both instances complications existed,
which helped them to that end. Eight men were sent on sick leave for scurvy. Several of
the cases sent away for ulcers, debility and dysentery, were thoroughly saturated with
scurvy, and in fact almost every man granted sick leave was more or less tainted with the
complaint. Out of the 29 men pensioned, 15 were scorbutic, and at the close of the year 15
cases of the malady remained under treatment in hospital. Lime juice was of course "the
chief" agent relied on in the treatment of the disease, but iron in various shapes, quinine,
potash salts, barks, spirits, fresh meat, cod liver oil, eggs and milk were all used. Vegeta-
-bles, when at all procurable from the bazaar, were recommended, and the sepoys induced to
use them as much as possible. Potatoes were drawn from the Commissariat and issued to
bad cases in hospital. The extractum carnis obtained from the medical stores was found
invaluable in the cases furnished by the grain-feeding Hindoos, who objected on caste
prejudices to take meat of any description. Before leaving the subject, I beg to express a
decided opinion against the efficacy, as an antiscorbutic, of the lime juice issued by the
Commissariat Department, as compared with that obtained from fresh limes, and recommend
the use of the latter, where and whenever possible. There was one admission only from the
disease at Perim.
Rheumatism. —There were 39 admissions from this complaint at Aden, and 4 in the
Perim Detachment. Those at head-quarters were 22 of chronic, 14 of muscular, and 3 of
the synovial variety. I consider these cases due to the influence of the climate on systems
saturated with scurvy.
Respiratory Diseases. —There were 22 admissions from chronic bronchitis, which were
of the ordinary kind and presented nothing calling for remark.
A case of phthisis pulmonalis in a broken down, suspected opium eater, was admitted,
and the patient, who, partly owing to his own urgent entreaties, was granted sick leave, died
Details of treated.