Requirements and recommend-
ations
Special observations, new ex-
perience in treatment.
4
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
5. There is a capital market close at hand, from which all supplies can be obtained.
Clothing is also easily procurable from the native town. The
men have two suits of regimental clothing, one warm red serge
cloth, and the other American drill for the summer. Food is dear in Bombay, but the men
draw their usual grain compensation, which is Rs. 5 in addition to their pay every month..
6. The duties in Bombay are rather hard, as the number of nights in bed is generally
only 2, and there are generally two parades a week in the
summer and .three or four in the cold season. There is a
gymnasium in the lines, and the recruits are exercised at it.
7. The hospital is 200 feet long and 38 broad, consisting of four wards each 50 feet by
20, with verandahs on each side 8 feet wide. Each verandah has
its door at the end of its ward, and when they are left open,
they form either a walk for the patients, or a place for trying the stamina of recruits. At
the end of the verandah there are four rooms at the four corners of the hospital, 10 feet by 10,
two for patients, and two for the consulting and store room. The hospital stands in a
compound 275 feet by 232, and faces the sea on the west side and the Marine Lines and Scotch
burial ground (now unused) on the east. The north looks towards the city, and the south
towards the officers' bungalows. The hospital can accommodate 50 beds without using the
verandas, which in a case of emergency could accommodate 36 more, making a total of 86
beds. The hospital has not a dispensary in the main building, which is a great defect, and
plans were sent in both for that and a bath room, but the present state of the finances would
not allow of their being made. The hospital is supplied with Toolsee water from two hydrants,
and the water is of excellent quality. There is also a capital exercise ground in front of the
hospital for the patients.
8. The general health has been good since the Regiment came back from Malta; the
physique of the men is good, most of them being over 5 feet 6,
and over 32 inches chest measurement. Some of them are
good gymnasts and wrestlers.
9. The climate of Bombay is very good, and always brings up the health of a Regiment
if it was suffering from any disease or epidemic before its
arrival. The daily average of sick this year is 25 . 0, a slight
increase on last year, as there was a great deal of fever in May,
June, and July, making the total of admissions for that disease 100 more than last year.
The lines are very hot in the summer months, as there is no shade from trees, and being
surrounded by buildings on three sides, the ventilation is not good, especially at night, when
the wind fails.
10. There were 428 cases of malarious fever, an increase of 81 over last year. Remittent
fever 2 cases, bowel complaints 49 cases, 21 dysentery and
28 diarrhœa, spleen disease 5, respiratory disease 60, consisting
chiefly of bronchitis and bronchial catarrh, with 1 case of pneumonia, 7 cases of phthisis,
2 of dropsy, 19 cases of scurvy, rheumatism 32, venereal 8, and eye disease 17 (chiefly
conjunctivitis), abscess and ulcers 14, wounds and accidents (including shoe-bites) 83, all
other causes 170.
11. There were 6 deaths in hospital; their causes were, 1 from remittent fever (com-
plicated with bronchitis), 1 from dysentery, 1 from scurvy of
long standing, 2 from phthisis, and 1 from self-poisoning by
opium.
Food and clothing.
Duties and exercise, and their
effects on health.
H o s p i t a l .
General health and physique.
Influence of climate or local
circumstances on health.
Details of treated.
Mortality, and its causes.
Epidemics.
12. There was no epidemic this year.
13. 27 children were primarily vaccinated, 18 boys and 9 girls ; 83 recruits and 18
women were re-vaccinated. These vaccinations were all
successful.
14. 43 men were invalided in the year, 16 old and past service, 6 for chronic
bronchitis, 4 for general debility, 5 for eye disease, 2 for vari-
cose veins, 2 for chronic splenitis, 1 each for dysentery, chronic
rheumatism, chronic orchitis, phthisis, secondary syphilis, local paralysis, heart disease,
and cheloid cancer.
Vaccination.
Invaliding, and its causes.
15. A dispensary and bath room added to the main build-
ing of the hospital on the side facing the sea at each
corner.
16. lodoform has been found very beneficial applied over
indolent ulcers with lint, strapped over and excluded from air
for two days.
Salycilate of soda has also been found of great benefit in reducing the temperature in
remittent fever, in doses of 10 or 15 grains in water every four hours.