PRESIDENCY DIVISION, ADEN, AND BOMBAY MARINE.
9
to the climate of Aden. It has three principal wards for the reception of patients, and the
inner verandah to the rear, which is walled in and furnished with doors and windows, can be
also used for that purpose, when required. The main ward is designed to hold twenty-two
patients, giving each a superficial area of about 100 square feet and a cubic space of 1,964
cubic feet. The two small wards accommodate eight patients each, allowing the same mea-
- s u r e m e n t s t o t h e i n m a t e s . T h e r e a r e , i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e t h r e e w a r d s m e n t i o n e d , a n o f f i c e a n d
surgery eighteen feet by twenty-four, and a dispensary twelve feet by twenty-four. There
are also two small store rooms taken off the back, and a guard room off the verandah at the
west end. The latrine was repaired and its construction in a measure improved during the
year, and it is now in very good condition. The subordinates' and servants' quarters are
sufficient and in a good state. The hospital is a new building, as are also all the out-offices,
and both it and the general surroundings are very healthy. The building is isolated and
situated on a dry stony site, with a well raised masonry plinth four feet high, floored with
asphalte, thoroughly ventilated and exposed to the prevailing winds. There is no source of
nuisance in the immediate vicinity.
8. The general health of the regiment during the greater part of the year was decidedly
bad. This was chiefly due to the amount of scurvy which
prevailed amongst the men. The cause of the great prevalence
of this complaint, which was almost confined to the Native Infantry, is to be found in
the deficiency of anti-scorbutic properties in the ration supplied from the Commissariat
Department to the men. The actual number of men admitted into hospital under the head of
scurvy will not convey the remotest idea of the extent to which the men's systems were
saturated with the malady, as the impoverished state of the blood due to it, caused other com-
-plaints of a more prominent nature, for which the men sought admission. The men at head
- q u a r t e r s w e r e i n s p e c t e d w e e k l y d u r i n g t h e y e a r , a n d t h e f o l l o w i n g p e r c e n t a g e s f o u n d t a i n t e d
and had lime juice issued to them daily in the lines. In the month of February 5·76 per cent.
were found tainted with scurvy, in March 3·67, in April 1 . 96, in May 7·34, in June 7·62,
in July 22·10, in August 21·64, in September 25·29, in October 31·64, in November 33·89,
and in December 32·20. From the above figures it will be seen that the lowest
percentage of men affected with scurvy was found in April or at the end of the cold season.
I attributed this, and I believe justly, to the comparative facility with which vegetables were
obtained in the bazaar during the three previous cold months. Again, the great increase
which took place in July, shows that the almost total absence of vegetables from the bazaar
in the hot months, and the very inferior quality of those issued by the Commissariat, were
the chief causes of the complaint, and that scurvy amongst the Native Troops at Aden is
mainly due to au inferior vegetable ration. The low caste Purwaree from the Concan, and
the grain feeding Hindoo from Hindustan, were the greatest sufferers. I believe Dr.
Johnstone, a former Deputy Surgeon General of this Division, recommended that the Native
Regiments at Aden should be relieved after eighteen months' service here, and the above
percentages show the wisdom of this advice, as it was only during the last six months of the
second year, that scurvy declared itself largely amongst the men and seriously affected the
health of the Regiment. From what has been said on the subject of scurvy, it must
be expected that the physique of the men has rather deteriorated during the past year.
but it has not been so seriously affected as a person would be inclined to suppose, as the men
are as a rule young, and will, with few exceptions, throw off the disease after a short time at
a healthy Indian station. There are of course a few men irretrievably ruined in health, who
will have to be discharged from the regiment, to eke out the remainder of their existence in
their native villages as best they may.
9. During the year the rainfall consisted of only a few slight showers, that in no way
affected the health of the Troops, or exercised any influence on
the state of the climate, which was said to have been cooler
than usual. No doubt the climate of Aden is most enervating, and affects the systems of
those serving in it to such an extent that it renders them very subject to the diseases peculiar
to the station. One would be inclined to think, that there is some peculiarity in the atmos-
- p h e r e o f A d e n w h i c h f a v o u r s t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f s c u r v y , b u t t h e f a c t t h a t t h e N a t i v e T r o o p s
are almost the only sufferers from the malady, proves that it is chiefly due to the quality of
the ration issued to the sepoys. The Aden ulcer and scorbutic ulceration are very common,
and due to local and climatic influences. I have noticed that in most of the cases of the true
Aden or chronic ulcer, there were no scorbutic symptoms, and firmly believe that they are due
to a depraved state of the blood, from some other as yet undiscovered cause, perhaps to the
presence of some of the lately discovered living organisms in that fluid. Bowel complaints
(particularly scorbutic dysentery) were influenced prejudicially by climate. Colics, dyspepsia,
and diarrhœa were most likely caused by bad food and water. Fevers were most certainly
to be attributed to a hot oppressive climate acting on systems already shattered from other
enervating causes. I firmly believe in the presence of local malaria at Aden, and only a
short distance from camp, enlarged spleens and malarial fevers of a grave type are contracted.
c
General health and physique.
Influence of climate on health.