A SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
subject, dated the 25th November last, submitted to the medical authorities. The
disease broke out in the town of Dhulia on the 26th April, the first case being that of a
traveller (a Dher) from Málegaon where cholera had been
prevalent for some days. Immediately on the outbreak of
the malady in Dhulia the men were forbidden to go into the
town, and all strangers were prohibited from communicating with the lines and its en
-
virons. To carry out this isolation, sentries were posted. It
was, however, found impossible to prevent the civil population
passing to and fro between their homes and the bazaar, and in
-
tercourse between the two quarters was, therefore, only limited. I believe, however, that the
exclusion of beggars and other strangers, and the confinement of the sowars to the neighbour-
hood of the lines, were secured. It is noteworthy that the disease did not appear in the
Moglai until 12 days after its commencement in the town, although intercommunication was
by no means thoroughly interrupted. The disease first attacked the wife of a Lingayet
Bunya, named Suckoo Appa, living in the small bazaar of the Moglai. It then spread rapidly
over the whole locality as if every part of it had been affected simultaneously with the
choleraic influence. The whole place being the reverse of clean, and all, or nearly all, of the
houses of both the civil inhabitants arid men of the Poona Horse being small, badly built and
arranged, and very much overcrowded, it was not surprising that the close unwholesome at-
mosphere afforded a favourable medium for the development of the disease. The maximum
violence of the epidemic in Dhulia was reached between the 11th and 22nd of May, the
greatest number of admissions having taken place on the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th, when
there were, respectively, 44, 22, 37, and 23 admissions in the town and Moglai together; and
the whole of the cases in the latter quarter (inclusive of the Poona Horse), which were 73 in
number, occurred between the 7th and 17th May, the epidemic ceasing entirely after the latter
date so far as this locality was concerned. The camp and vicinity were cleansed as much as
possible, but no special measures of disinfection or white-wash
-
ing were resorted to. Destruction of the evacuations and
digging up the fouled floors were carried out as far as practicable,
and the advisability of doing so inculcated upon the people. I advised the Officer Command
-
ing the detachment to be prepared to march out into camp if necessary; and tents were
accordingly procured from head-quarters, there having been none here previously. The
disease confined itself, however, chiefly to the women and children of the syces and followers
and a few members of the men's families, and only 3 sowars were attacked, all of whom
lived in different huts widely separated. 2 of these men were of decidedly feeble consti-
tution, and the other, though healthy, could not be termed robust. They all suffered from a
severe and prolonged form of the disease, but convalescence was tolerably rapid. None of the
many men who lived near them, and who visited them and attended upon them whilst ill, were
attacked with cholera or diarrhœa; several men fearlessly slept for several nights together
within a few paces of their cots. The weather being hot, and the hospital some distance
away, the 3 sick were not sent to the latter for treatment, but kept in a building in the
lines which was set apart for the purpose, and which, in fact, had been occupied by one of the
attacked and 2 or 3 other men when he was taken ill. The arrangement was much more
convenient for the attendants and for their general comfort than if they had been moved
away to the hospital; at the same time I would not advocate its adoption as a regular thing
under the existing state of the lines, and especially if the sick were numerous. The treatment
adopted in these and most of the other cases under my care was
by the mixture mentioned by Dr. Aitken in the 4th edition of
his Practice of Medicine, page 665, together with frequent
doses of tincture of cantharides and of calomel. The use of hot bottles to various parts of the
body and turpentine embrocations accompanied these medicines.
4. The only fatal case was that of Naik Hareerao, aged 35, who arrived at Dhulia on the
20th March with a party from Sirur. He was admitted into
hospital very ill with double pneumonia on the evening of the
23rd idem, being then semicomatose, with muttering delirium,
much dyspnœa, and rusty sputa; he sank rapidly and died on the 27th.
5. There was a case of simple fracture of the tibia from a kick by a horse, which made
a good recovery under treatment by rest and support by sand-bags but without splints.
6. The general health of the detachment was most satisfactory, with the exception of
the outbreak of cholera. Considering the close proximity of the overcrowded huts of a poor
and uncleanly civil population it is surprising that the epidemic did not cause great fatality
in the corps. I trust that the attention of Government may be drawn to the urgent neces-
sity for building the new lines: no authority, whether military or medical, could possibly
deny the importance of carrying out this work after satisfying himself of the facts so often
reported by me.
40
Account of Outbreak of Cholera.
Precautions.
Disinfection, &c.
Treatment.
Mortality.