114
SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
my notice—an officer's servant—I was more fortunate ; feeling the worm under the skin of the
leg, I cut down upon it, raised the animal with a probe, and succeeded in extracting a live
guinea-worm, fourteen inches in length, at one sitting.
Eye-affections have furnished 17 admissions during the year : these were all cases of
Conjunctivitis.
conjunctivitis, and all recovered under the usual treatment.
Bronchitis and pneumonia give 16 admissions for the year ; these all did well, except
Bronchitis and pneumonia.
two cases of bronchitis, in whom after the acute symptoms had
subsided, a very obstinate form of chronic bronchitis supervened ;
they both remained under treatment at the end of the year.
Capital operations.
Capital operations have been performed during the year.
One man was admitted with phymosis for which I circumcised him, and he made a good
ecovery. A recruit boy, suffering from the same complaint, was sub-
jected to the same operation, and with a similar result.
The average daily sick for the whole year was 53.7. The proportion of sick to strength
was 8 . 5 per cent., and the proportions of admissions to per cent. of strength was 146 . 5.
Twenty men were invalided to their own country during the year, for change of climate,
and two were sent for change of air to Moondra in Kutch, during their convalescence from
small-pox and scurvy, respectively.
There were five admissions into sick quarters among the European officers during the
year : one for laryngeal catarrh—one (who has since proceeded to England on medical certi-
ficate) was in sick quarters three times, for dyspepsia, febricula, and contusion of the head,
respectively ; and one officer was placed in sick quarters for hæmorrhoids on the last day of
the year.
I was obliged to suspend vaccination during the last 3 months of the year in consequence
of great sickness in the regiment, but during the first nine months of
the year it was regularly practised. 25 primary vaccinations were
performed successfully, and out of 38 re-vaccinations among the recruit boys, new recruits,
and others in the lines, 25 were successful ; these all presented marks of previous vaccination.
Their ages ranged from 10 to 20.
Two difficult labours occurred in the lines during the year. One was a case of cross-birth
Phymosis.
Vaccination.
Child-birth.
in which the arm had been born for 6 or 7 hours, and the funis was
prolapsed ; from the condition of the latter I ascertained that the child
was dead. After some trouble (the liquor amni having escaped) I succeeded in turning the
child, and so delivering the mother, who made a good recovery.
In the other case the head of the child was so large that it could not pass, and from the
strong contraction of the uterus, and the liquor amni having escaped, turning was impossi-
ble ; the child being already dead, I decided upon perforating its head and so relieving the
mother : this was done, and she made a good recovery.
H. M. ' S 2ND REGIMENT BOMBAY LIGHT CAVALRY.
DEESA.—In Medical Charge of Assistant Surgeon A. BARRY, M.D.
Average strength at head-quarters
—
Europeans...................................
6
Natives.........................................
301
Squadron at Rajkot.
Strength.
Europeans
.................................
. 1
Natives ......................................
1 5 1
The head-quarters of the regiment have been stationed at Deesa throughout the year.
Since our arrival here on the 24th of January 1871, attempts have been
made to improve the general appearance and sanitary condition of the
cantonment. During the year seven fixed receptacles for rubbish
have been constructed in the sudder and regimental bazars. With a view to prevent mala-
ria, it has been determined to cultivate ground, especially in close proximity to the European
barracks, the growth of grass and cereals to be fostered for the purpose of absorbing and
rendering inert miasm, and utilizing decayed vegetable matter in the soil after the rains.
2. The road from the sudder bazar towards the artillery lines has been improved, and a
new culvert constructed over a nullah, which separates the former from the latter, and on the
roadsides young trees are planted, which are carefully watered morning and evening. Already
those lining the road which leads from the European infantry lines to sudder bazar, planted
three or four years ago, form a fine avenue and give a pleasing prospect of affording a grateful
shade and lessening the reflection of light and radiation of heat from the sand.
Sanitary condition of
cantonment.
3. Wells in low places are being disused ; all animal and vegetable matter are carefully
swept from the streets of the bazar, and human excreta deposited in the enclosures made for