OF INDIA DURING THE TEN-YEAR PERIOD 1870-79.
60. These tables show that for the three years 1877-79, the death-rate from
disease in the European Army of India
among men in their first and second year's
of Indian service, is greater than at any of
the other three p
eriods of service given in
the tables. This is due to the excessive death-rate in the Bengal Army among
men in the first and second years of their service. Up to two years' service the
average death-rate in Bengal during these three years was 2
3
.
60 per 1,000 ; among
men in their third to sixth year of Indian service the death-rate was 1
4
.
05 ; among
men in their seventh to tenth year it was 12
.
90 ; and among men of ten years'
service and over, the death-rate was 17
.
22 per 1,000.
61. The experience of the same three years in Madras and Bombay is
2 9
Death-rate in the Army of India greatest in first
and second years of Indian service due to the exces-
sive mortality in the Bengal Army at this period
of service.
In the Madras Army death-rate highest among
men of ten years' service and over.
different to that of Bengal. In Madras,
excluding deaths from cholera and violent
deaths, the death-rate among men in their seventh to tenth year was 17
.
19 per
1,000, and among men of ten years' service and over, 20
.
43 per 1,000 ; whereas
the death-rate among men in their first and second year's service was only 13
.
46.
In this Presidency during the three years 1877-79, the men in their third to
sixth year of service had the lowest death-rate ; among them it was only 10
.
45
per 1,000.
62. In Bombay, again, during the same three years the men under two
Death-rate in Bombay also highest among men
of ten years' service and over.
years' service had the lowest death-rate.
The rate of mortality remained nearly the
same among the men from their third up to their tenth year of service ; among
those in their third to sixth year the death-rate, excluding cholera deaths and
deaths by violence, was
11
.
49 ; and among those in their seventh to tenth year
it was 10 .44 per 1,000. Men of ten years' service and over suffered much more
severely, the death-rate among them being 2
4
.
56 per 1,000.
63. Enteric fever is by far the most frequent cause of death among
Enteric fever the most frequent cause of death
among recent arrivals.
soldiers in the first and second year of their
Indian service. Excluding deaths from
cholera and violent deaths,
34
.
54 per cent. of the deaths in the Army of
India during the years 1877-79 among men of two years' service and under
was due to enteric fever. In the Bengal Presidency the corresponding per-
centage was 37
.
00. Among men in their third to sixth year of Indian service
in the Bengal Army the percentage was 15
.
79 ; among those in their seventh to
tenth year it was 11 . 33, and among men of 10 years' service and over, only 2
.
42
per cent. of the deaths was due to enteric fever.
64. These tables seem to show that recent arrival in India plays a more
Recent arrival a more powerful pre-disposing cause
of enteric fever than youth.
important part in the pre-disposition to
enteric fever than youth does. Taking
the Army of Bengal, which suffers most from enteric fever, the percentage of
liability to enteric fever during the years 1871-79 among boys of 20 years
of age and under, was 31 . 14, among men of 20 to 24 years of age 42 .34, among
those of 25 to 29 years of age 20
.
92, and among those 30 years old and up-
wards 5
.
60. Hence the liability among those under 20 years of age was very
much less than among those between 20 to 24 years old, and the liability
among those between 25 and 29 years of age was still considerable. On the
other hand, the percentage of liability of the soldier in Bengal in the first and
second years of his Indian service is as high as 68 . 05, whereas it falls to 17
.
30
among men in their third to sixth years of Indian service, and is only 11
.
38
among men in the seventh to tenth year of their service. The soldier in the first
and second years of his Indian service falls a victim to fevers other than enteric
fever, and to apoplexy more readily than the man who has passed a longer
time in the country, and he also suffers very severely from dysentery and
diarrhœa. The diseases which produce the greatest mortality among men
of ten years' service and over are hepatitis, heart diseases, dysentery and
apoplexy.