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SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
Remarks by the Deputy Inspector General, Indian medical Department, Northern and mhow Divisions.
The Annual Returns for 1870 having all been forwarded to the Inspector General in
January last, and no Memos. of them retained in this office, I am unable to do more than fur
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nish a bare statement of the movements which have taken place among the native troops in
the Northern and Mhow Divisions.
Two troops of 1st Regiment Light Cavalry proceeded from Deesa viâ Ahmedabad to
Poona on 24th October 1870, and the head quarters followed on 26th January last. Two
troops of same Regiment which were at Rajcote marched there likewise viâ Limree and
Baroda on 24th December.
These were replaced by the head quarters and 4 troops of the 2nd Bombay Light Cavalry
from Neemuch, leaving that station for Deesa on 29th December, and arriving there on 24th
January following.
Two troops of this Regiment likewise left Neemuch on 8th October and reached Rajcote
on 5th December.
The 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry arrived at Neemuch from Poona on 27th December,
and one squadron of the Regiment proceeded to Nusseerabad, where it arrived on 23rd Janu
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ary last.
In the matter of. Infantry reliefs, the following were effected:—
The 11th Regiment N. I. left the Mhow Division, marching from Nusseerabad to Sattara
on 7th December.
The 19th Regiment N. I. from Bhooj also left the Northern Division viâ, Ahmedabad for
Bombay on 23rd November, arriving at Ahmedabad en route on 17th December; and was
relieved by the 20th Regiment N. I., which left Deesa on 2nd November and arrived at Bhooj
on 22nd of the same mouth.
The 22nd Regiment N. I. marched on Neemuch from Bombay, reaching that station on
20th January 1871.
The 24th Regiment N. I. arrived at Deesa from Poona on 29th December 1870, and the
26th Regiment N. I. left Baroda on 20th October and arrived at Nusseerabad on 2nd December;
this occurred immediately after the 4th Regiment N. I. or Rifles reaching Baroda from Poona
on 19th October.
A couple of detachments were furnished by the (6th Regiment N. I., one to Dwarka, the
other to Burda Chowky, both of them leaving Ahmedabad on 20th October and reaching
their destination, the former on 19th November and the latter on 14th of same month. These
detachments on their arrival relieved similar ones from the 25th Regiment which returned to
Dhoolia on 20th November.
The 3rd Regiment N. I., from Mhow replaced a detachment of the 14th N. I., also from
Mhow, on 15th December.
The health of the troops throughout the Northern and Mhow Divisions has been fairly
healthy, neither cholera nor epidemic disease having appeared; one exception to the above
must however be made; this is in respect to the 26th Regiment N. I., which while stationed
at Baroda, suffered severely from fever, and to such a serious extent was the efficiency of the
Regiment effected, that the Acting Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals was ordered to
Baroda to make inquiries into the matter, and to report afterwards to the Inspector General.
When taking the annual inspection of this Regiment at Nusseerabad on 31st December
last, I had the whole Regiment drawn up in native dress, and I looked at every man. The
march from Baroda and consequent change of air had done much to restore the men's health;
although they had no unusual number in hospital, still it was very apparent that taken as a