Sanitary
arrange
- m e n t s .
Diet.
Duty.
Epidemic
diseases.
Sanitary
condition.
Conservancy.
104
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
General
conclusions.
Sanitary arrangements. —The sanitary arrangements of the barracks have been properly
attended to; there are no local causes of disease.
Diet. —Provisions, have been good and plentiful, but prices are high. Vegetables are
a b u n d a n t . T h e p r i c e o f m e a t i s v e r y h i g h , a n d I d o n o t t h i n k t h e m e n o f t e n b u y i t . E a c h s e p o y
on forei gn servi ce recei ves 2 l b s. of ri ce, 3 oz. of dhol l , 2 oz. of ghee, ¼ oz. of t obacco, 12 drachms
of salt, and 2 drachms of turmeric. Many of them live on this alone, which probably accounts
for so many cases of anæmia and general debility appearing at hospital. Others vary their rations
by the addition of vegetables, fish, &c., at their own cost.
Duty. —The average number of nights in bed per week was 2½.
Epidemic diseases. —The following cases caused most admissions. Fever of an inter
- m i t t e n t t y p e 3 6 , d i a r r h œ a 3 2 , g e n e r a l d e b i l i t y 2 3 , s k i n d i s e a s e s , a s e c z e m a , h e r p e s , & c . , 4 6 , a n d
itch 48. The fever cases were almost all of a mild character; the diarrhœa cases included some
few severe ones, but pure dysentery happened in three cases only. Both diarrhœa and dysentery
are, I think, attributable to the humidity of the climate and the unvaried and non-nutritious
diet on which the men live. No epidemic disease of any kind appeared among the men during
the year. There has been no defect in drainage, &c., no overcrowding, nor anything that would
be likely to cause a prevalence of disease. (The somewhat high number of skin diseases is
entirely due to the peculiarity of the climate.)
General conclusions.—There were 268 admissions into hospital since the wing left Palaveram
at the end of March. Out of this number 7 were sent to the coast for change; 2 of these died,
1 in the Depot Hospital from bronchitis, the other at his own home from intermittent fever.
As will be seen, skin affections, eczema, and itch, principally the latter in a much more
aggravated form than that seen in Madras, constitute more than one-third of the admissions.
Climate is, I am certain, the cause of nearly all these cases, which will, I think, decrease as the
men become more acclimatised. Diarrhœa cases, 32 in number, were never, save 4 or 5 cases,
very acute, the average duration of a case being about four or five days. Fever of an intermittent
type caused 32 admissions, none of them very severe cases. On the whole the health of the wing
has been good.
Deputy Surgeon-General P. G. FitzGerald, M.D., inspected this wing of the
regiment on the 19th January 1876, and reports as follows:—
Sanitary condition. —The latrines, guard-rooms and cells, as well as the cook-room, have all
been described in the report of the 39th Regiment barracks.
Conservancy. —The excreta from the latrines and the sweepings and refuse of the barracks
and kitchens are taken away daily by the conservancy carts and buried at a distance outside
cantonment.
Hospital.
Principal
diseases.
Hospital.—The daily average sick during the year was 12.14, and each man had about
1,200 cubic feet of space and nearly 100 square feet of superficial area. The conservancy
arrangements are the same as for the barracks.
Principal diseases. —The principal diseases during the year have been skin diseases (eczema
and herpes and itch) 94, fever 36, diarrhœa and dysentery 35, general debility 23. With few
exceptions the fevers (of an intermittent type), diarrhœa, and dysentery were of a mild type; there
were no deaths in the wing at this station, but two men invalided to the coast died there, one of
bronchitis and one of fever and debility.
6 t h R e g i m e n t N a t i v e I n f a n t r y .
STATION—THAYETMYO.
Arrived from Secunderabad on the 22nd January 1875.
Average strength
..
. . ..
..
..
. .
. .
..
. .
695
Do.
do.
present
..
..
..
..
. .
. .
..
.. 612
Admissions..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
. . 458
Daily sick. . ..
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
26
Deaths in hospital..
. .
. .
. .
..
..
..
..
..
10
Do. out of do.
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
5
Pensioned
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
4
Sick leave
..
. .
..
. .
. .
. .
..
. .
. . 15
The following return shows the rates of sickness, deaths, and invaliding as
contrasted with previous years:—