64
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
64 MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
last six months are almost without exception fine lads, and likely to turn out excellent
sepoys.
9. This has been a healthier year than the last, and the rainfall was slightly less.
10. 11.
In.1878, 51 inches 25 cents were registered in the regimental
Influence of climate.
hospital, and during the months of September, October, and
November the admissions for ague were 62, 60, and 72, respectively. In 1879, a rainfall of
47 inches 8 cents was recorded, and in the above months there were 40, 45, and 37 admis
- sons for ague.
The influence of the neighbouring paddy fields on the health of the Left Wing has been
commented on in para. 2.
12. From the number of admissions for guinea-worm (8), it might almost be thought
that the disease was endemic in Belgaum. This, however, is not
the case, as in every instance the sufferer was either a Konkani.
recruit or a man ascertained to have been on furlough about twelve months before the
appearance of the parasite.
The admissions for fever were 364, being less than in 1878 (422), but more than in 1877
(134). The admissions for dysentery were 14 in number, for diarrhœa 4. In the preceding
year they were respectively 20 and 18. There were 8 admissions for gonorrhœa, 2 for paraphy
- mosis, and 9 for primary syphilis.
13.Two Hindoos and one Mussulman died in hospital during the year. One Hindoo
died of paraplegia, or rather from blood-poisoning, and the
Mortality, and its causes, exhaustion of large bad sores which formed in spite of every care.
The second fatal case was that of a man under treatment for acute rheumatism. The
patient, a Hindoo, died suddenly while taking his food, probably from fatty heart, as he had
well marked arcus senilis ; and symptoms of pericarditis, though watched for, had never been
observed. The third death in hospital was from a suicidal gunshot wound of the abdomen,
inflicted on himself by a young Mussulman, who took his Government rifle and several rounds
of ball ammunition to the bazaar and committed the rash act there. He was brought to
hospital with his intestines protruding from a wound a little above and to the left of the
umbilicus, the ball had taken an upward direction, the wound of exit being at about the level
of the tenth rib. The protruded intestines, which had escaped injury, were returned to the
abdominal cavity, and the man carefully attended to, but he sank and died in the hospital of
the 22nd Regiment N. I. nine hours after the infliction of the wound. Having left the station
with the Regiment on the morning of the man's death, I am unaware of the precise internal.
injuries he received.
There were 4 deaths out of hospital, one that of a Sikh Jemadar, who for some unascer
- tained reason hung himself' in his hut—he had been dead some hours before his body was
discovered, two unknown, and one from dyspepsia.
14. There were only 22 children vaccinated and 5 recruits re-vaccinated successfully
during the year. The small number of infant vaccinations
Vaccination.
may be explained by the fact that a good many families, in
view of the anticipated transfer of the Regiment to Aden, had been sent to their homes. At
the end of the year there were only five very young children unprotected with the head
- q u a r t e r s .
15.Four native officers, three non-commissioned officers, and one man havimg
b c o m- -
pleted 32 years' service, were discharged with full pension, and
five non-commissioned officers and 22 men having become
unfit for further service by reason of old age, debility, loss of teeth, valvular disease of the
heart, periostitis, syphilitic taint, chronic bronchitis, defective vision, and " stupidity," were
pensioned off.
One man having been broken down by syphilis was discharged with a gratuity.
16.Fourteen men were sent to their homes on medical certificate; three had suffered
severely from bronchitis, the . same number from ague, and two
Medical certificate.
from chronic rheumatism. Asthma, general debility resulting
from gonorrhœal rheumatism and gleet, pneumonia, periostitis of the femur, diarrhœa, and
hepatitis each necessitated one patient being sent away for change of air and rest.
17.Being interested in finding out for myself the real value of the mixed cinchona
alkaloids as a febrifuge, a comparison (the details of .which
Treatment, when special,
were given in a special report) was instituted between that
drug and arsenic, which for long I had looked on as little inferior to sulphate of quinine in
antiperiodic virtue. The series of observations made proved that the two remedies were very
nearly equal in power. The mixed cinchona alkaloids appear, therefore, to be very useful,
being capable of issue to persons who could not be entrusted with the management of so
potent a remedy as arsenic.
Details of treated.