NORTHERN AND MHOW DIVISIONS OF THE ARMY.
7 1
state, and their constitutions have been considerably impaired by long residence in this part of
the country. The chief cause of this lies in the fact that vegetables are procured with great
difficulty from the month of March till July or August. This greatly predisposes the men to
scurvy, or if it does not actually take the form of that disease, most other diseases are more
or less tinged with a scorbutic taint. During the latter part of 1869 and the commencement
of 1870, many of the men were affected to a greater or less degree ; most of these cases were
but slight, and the men were able to perform their duties, remaining the whole time under
treatment. It required constant watching and there were frequent inspections of the whole
Regiment to keep the disease under. But by dint of care, it was at last almost totally eradi--
cated, though it will require time and a complete change of climate thoroughly, to remove all
the ill effects it has worked on the constitutions of the men.
By the accompanying return it will be seen how large the number of admissions from
intermittent fever has been. The number is not quite so large as last year, but the cases
have been more obstinate and consequently the daily average number of sick has been higher.
This is in a measure due to the weakly state of the recruits of the Regiment, numbering 89,
many of whom have been admitted into hospital six or seven times in three months. They are
for the most part men enlisted from the Concan, Deccan, and Southern Mahratta Country, and
it may be that the sudden change to a climate so widely different from their own, has so
seriously affected them. Great care has been taken since their arrival that they should not
be over-worked.
I must now pass on to speak of the other cases among which I think the 10 admissions
from remittent fever most worthy of remark.
The cases all occurred in a body of recruits who were marched up here at the end of
March or the commencement of April. The Lance Naique in charge of the party, contrary
to all orders, marched them during the heat of the day instead of by night, consequently one
man was brought into camp with strong fever and violent delirium, and nine other admissions
quickly followed, among whom was the Non-Commissioned Officer in charge. Two of these
cases rapidly proved fatal, and a third while under the effects of delirium made his escape
from the hospital, and in spite of every endeavour to trace him, was never seen or even heard
of again. The remainder of the cases after long and tedious illness, in which the severe
head symptoms were the chief complications, made a slow recovery, but up to the present
time they have not entirely shaken off the effects of their illness.
There have been two cases of great interest during the past year. One of them, a sepoy,
who was admitted into hospital complaining of pain in his foot which nothing relieved, and
which he attributed to an injury received while on service in Persia. After a short time
mortification set in and spread rapidly ; but for a long time he refused to have any operation
performed, until it had spread so far that the limb had to be amputated in the middle third
of the thigh. During and after the operation there was no bleeding, and on examination
of the limb it was found, that the femoral artery was entirely occluded, and the collateral
circulation had not been established. The man recovered steadily but not rapidly, and is
now able to get about by means of crutches perfectly well.
The second case was in the person of a bugler who had suffered for some time from a
swelling in the side of the neck ; this at last began to ulcerate and increase rapidly, and took
the form of colloid cancer. The tumour was deeply seated, embracing both the external and
internal carotid arteries, so that removal of it was rendered almost impossible. The man
became gradually more and more cachetic, and it required the constant exhibition of stimu--
lants to keep him alive; till one day there was an enormous gush of blood from the tumour,
and he was dead. The internal carotid had been eaten through, just at the point where the
stylo-glossus and stylo-pharyngeal muscles cross the vessel.