MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
The 9th Regiment remained during the year in Baroda until the 29th November,
when they proceeded by rail to Bombay, relieving the 20th
Regiment.
2. The lines* are situated between the Crawford Market and the Carnac Bunder, about
ten minutes' walk from the hospital. The vicinity is thickly
populated on the north side, but on the south there are prin
-cipally sheds and buildings connected with the G. I. P. Railway.
On the east is the Carnac Bunder, on the west the Crawford
Market. The lines have recently been undergoing a revision as to drainage, and the work
is now approaching completion.
3. The latrines are situated in the north-east corner. They are surrounded by a high
brick wall which is fenced off by wooden palings about two feet
from it, and the latrines themselves are made of iron with iron
divisions and roofs. The refuse is removed daily by the conservancy carts. The latrines
are too few, the men state, for the number of inhabitants of the lines, which with the ad
-dition of the detachment 4th Rifles cannot be well under 2,000 men, women, and children.
4. The men obtain water from four iron tanks which are supplied by Vehar water.
The water can be drawn off by numerous taps fixed in
these tanks.
5. Food is abundant but somewhat dear. During the months of June, July, and August
grain was at an extremely high price in Baroda, but then the
men received the usual compensation.
6. The duties in Baroda were light, and the additional work here has only been for so
short a time that it is not possible to express any opinion.
52
Location and movements.
The Lines and their surround
- i n g s p r e s e n t c o n d i t i o n , h y g i e n i c
and otherwise.
Conservancy.
Water supply.
Food.
Duties, &c.
Hospital.
7. This has been described and reported upon at pages 2
and 3, Army Medical Report for 1876.
8. The health of the men, and their physique, is very fair. Within the last two years
upwards of 70 of the oldest and most worn-out men have been
invalided, and the recruits are a very fine body of men.
General health and physique.
Influence of climate or local
circumstances on health.
9. The health of the regiment was certainly not improving
in Baroda, and the change to Bombay is a beneficial one.
10. The principal causes of sickness were 177 admissions from ague, 28 from rheuma
-tism, diseases of the lungs 36, dysentery 22, small-pox 4,
diarrhœa 11, and from cholera 13. Many re-admissions are
included in the first three figures; the remaining causes, such as eye affections, dyspepsia, itch,
&c., gave few admissions, whilst shoe-bites furnished the usual proportion.
11. Two deaths occurred from ague with complications, one from sunstroke, one
from pulmonary phthisis, one from hepatitis, and eight from
cholera. giving a total of 13.
12. An epidemic of cholera occurred in Baroda, commencing in October and termin
-ating in November. The first case occurred on the 2nd
October, the next on the 9th, another on the 12th, and after
that it became more general. Not much evidence could be obtained as to the cause of this
outbreak. The man admitted on the 2nd October, and who subsequently died, had been
to Baroda city two days previously, and had cooked and eaten his food near a tank in the
city. But there was no cholera in Baroda at that time, nor did any cases occur for three
weeks at least after that About a month before this case occurred there had been three
suspicious deaths in the bazaar, which were returned as cholera; but the number was
limited to these. The second case was admitted on the 9th. The history given by the
man and his friend was this:—that he had left the lines in the morning, and gone to a village
some three miles from Baroda, where he had purchased some fowls. On his return, he with
another friend had their food together, as usual. About 11 o'clock in the afternoon
he was seized with cholera. There was no report or evidence of cholera at this village.
The first case was a Mussulman; this one a Purwaree; and they lived in lines quite apart.
On the 12th the woman who had cooked for him was admitted, and died on the 13th. The
only cholera known to exist within any distance of Baroda was in Dakoor. Here a recruit
-
Details of treated.
Mortality and its causes.
Epidemics.
* A description of the lines and hospital occupied by the regiment when at Baroda will be found in the report
of the 20th N. I., at page 2.