NORTHERN AND MHOW DIVISIONS OF THE ARMY.
73
wholesome; but there is an utter absence, so far as the men are concerned, of good drinking
water. The soil of the station is impregnated with various salts to such an extent, that it is
nearly impossible to cultivate flowers or vegetables; these salts contaminate all the water
within reach of the men. Assistant Surgeon May, Analyst of potable waters to Government,
in his report made in 1868, characterised some of the wells as "so bad that in most stations the
water would not even be used for bathing ;"in addition to this there is great difficulty in pro-
-curing fresh vegetables. At the south end of cantonments where are the lines of the Native
Infantry, the soil is in great part composed of decaying rock, a fertile source of malaria. The
variation of temperature is very great, from 110º in the shade during the hot weather, to 30º in
cold weather before sunrise. All these causes combined make the place a very unhealthy one
for men from the Concan and Deccan—Mahrattas of whom the Regiment is mainly composed.
During the year 1866, the corps remained fairly healthy ; the season was good ; there
was no epidemic, and coming fresh from a station where food and water were better and
the climate less trying, the men retained their strength. There were three deaths ; one
reported to be from cholera. The number of admisions was 664; of average daily sick 15 ;
the average strength of the Regiment was 732.
In the following year 1867, however, the climate began to tell on the men's constitutions ;
the number of admissions rose to 1,052, the deaths to 4, the average daily sick being 24.5.
The strength of the Regiment was 732, although cholera severely attacked the European
troops, more especially the 2/1 Royals; no case occurred among the Native Infantry. Small--
pox broke out at the close of the year, but all the patients having been vaccinated, the
attacks were mild and no fatal case occurred. Fever of an intermittent type and generally mild
in character contributed the largest number of sick ; the greatest number of cases in this, as
in succeeding years, occurred during and after the rains.
In 1868 we had a remarkably mild hot weather, followed by drought; this latter laid
the foundation of the sickness of the following year. The number of admissions was 1,062 to a
strength of 770; there were 8 deaths, chiefly from fever and bronchitis. The Regiment lost
a European Officer in this year, Lieutenant Pye ; he had suffered severely from dysentery
sometime before, and his digestive system was utterly gone ; the average number of daily
sick was 33.3. It is noteworthy that though the admissions in proportion to strength were
less than in former years, yet the number of daily sick was much larger, showing that the
constitutions of the men were becoming undermined, and consequently they were longer
in recovering from an attack of any kind of illness ; a few scurvy cases, not of a severe
kind, occurred. The small-pox which broke out at the end of last, continued until the
month of March of the present year ; all the cases, however, were of a mild type and
terminated successfully. The effects of the drought of 1868 made themselves felt in the
beginning of this year (1869). The distress in the districts of Ajmeer, Mhairwara, and
Marwar was terrible ; grain rose to three and four "seers" per rupee. This did not so
severely affect all the sepoys, as they had of course compensation for dearness of provisions ;
it did, however, press rather heavily on the married men who had their families with
them. But what told upon the health of the whole Regiment was almost total privation of
fresh vegetables, and the increased brackishness of the water; hence scurvy of a virulent
type broke out, attended with swelling and induration of the legs, and by extreme pros--
tration of strength. Not only were there a great many cases in hospital, but it was found
necessary to administer "scurvy mixture," viz., lime juice <illegible> i, rum <illegible> i pulvis cinchona grs. xxx,
to a large number of men who were doing duty, as a precautionary measure. The entire
Regiment looked more like invalids than soldiers capable of work. Running drill had to be
given up, the men's strength not being equal to the exertion. Had it not been that the duty
at Nusseerabad was very light, so that, even with the large sick list, the men had at least six
nights in bed, the number of cases would have been much greater. Though cholera prevailed
in the sadder baazar and among the Europeans, the Regiment suffered but little. There were
19 s