Influence of Rainfall.
Epidemics.
60
A SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
8. There have been 4 deaths in hospital, and 1 out. 2 deaths from ague have been
mentioned above; the other 2 deaths are—1 diarrhæa and
1 copper-poisoning, The latter I have also referred to. The
diarrhœa case was a man who was greatly debilitated with scurvy while at Aden. The
death out of hospital was a suicide: the man shot himself in his hut while in a state of
temporary insanity. 48 men have been invalided; of these, 3 men were of short service,
and 26 had been rejected by the invaliding committee of the
year before.
9. I do not think that this year much can be put down to the scorbutic taint, but
doubtless some debility remained; the conditions in all other
respects were the same as last year, except, perhaps, that the
rainfall was rather heavier. The march does not appear to have affected the health of the
men generally. cannot point to any special cause for the mortality. 2 deaths among
Mahrattas (1 suicide) and 3 among Hindustani men give a percentage of 0.59 Mahrattas and
and 4.8 Hindustanis.
Mortality.
Invaliding.
Principal Causes of Sickness, &c.
10. Rainfall 68 inches and 77 cents, which is considerably
over the average.
11. None, except the cases of worms which I have above
alluded to.
12. Vaccination has been carefully attended to. There has been no small-pox in the
regiment, but the disease prevailed in the town to a considerable extent in the early part of
he year.
General Health and Physique of
the Men.
Treatment of Disease when special.
13. Much improved during the year, owing to light work
and getting rid of the scorbutic taint.
14. Cinchonidine has been used and reported upon.
15. I do not know that I have anything to add to what appears in the body of the
report, except that I wish to state that I think a sepoy, as a
rule, does not get nearly enough nourishment. In Mauri
-
tius it has been, I believe, found advisable to give the Indian coolies half the value of their
pay in ration and half in money. I think that some sort of arrangement of this kind might
be advisable. The Government, buying provisions in large quantities, could go to cheap
markets; whereas the sepoys, buying in small quantities, must buy at enhanced rates, and at
the local markets.
REMARKS BY DEPUTY SURGEON-GENERAL G. G. MAITLAND.
The long residence at Belgaum appears to have been of the greatest benefit to the men
generally. As regards Surgeon-Major Day's remark on cases of vermes simulating cholera,
some instances may have come under his notice, but I hardly think the generality of cases
in the districts reported as cholera were, after all, only cases of parasitic disease. Dr. Day,
I am inclined to believe, is correct in stating that the majority of persons attacked with
cholera in the late epidemic were women and children; but the mortality, as a rule, was com
-
paratively slight.
H. M.'s 6th Regiment N. I.
BELGAUM.—In medical charge of Surgeon G. W ATERS; Average strength, 610.5
1. The regiment is in process of being shifted from Belgaum to this station in four
detachments. The head-quarters detachment left Belgaum on the 23rd October last, and
reached Vingorla, a distance of 77 miles, by easy marches in 7 days and thence, embarking
on board the I. G. S. "Dalhousie", arrived in Aden on the 11th November. The second
detachment left Belgaum on the 24th November, reached Vingorla on the 30th idem, and
arrived here on the 10th December. The third detachment is now en route to Vingorla.
2. A detachment of 50 men was sent to Perim on the 14th of November last. It will
be relieved shortly, and the reliefs, as far as may he practicable, are arranged to take place
every two Mouths
Resumé of the whole.