26
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Diet
Exercises.
Epidemic
diseases.
Diet.—Rice, the staple diet of the Madras sepoy, has been dear. The supply of animal food
is most inferior during the rains and early portion of the cold weather. Vegetables are very
scarce during the hot and early portion of the wet months. At other times country vegetables are
plentiful, and during the latter part of the year have been supplied from the wing gardens, where
English vegetables are also cultivated with success.
Exercises. —Gymnastic exercises are practised by many of the sepoys, some of whom have
attained to considerable perfection as acrobats, &c. No games exist in the station for their recre-
ation and physical development. Regimental gardens have been established this year, and supply
a means of relaxation and agreeable exercise to the men.
Epidemic diseases. —In the fever prevalent here the typhoid symptoms noticed in the last
annual report were not at all widespread. Some cases occurred in which prostration was marked,
and the other symptoms noticed as typhoid were more or less prevalent. The most aggravated
cases in this direction occurred in men whose system was below par previous to the attack,. and
who neglected the premonitory symptoms of their illness. The bowel symptoms were not those
of typhoid fever, and the indications obtainable from thermometric observations clearly proved the
fever to be of a low intermittent type, which required, above everything, support and judicious
stimulation. The presence of ascarides complicating fever is attributable, I presume, to bad water,
and also regard the source of its impurity to be from surface washing and not from leakage
through the soil, which certainly, however, contaminated one well, the use of the water from which
has been forbidden. The most frequent and formidable complication of the fever was congestive
bronchitis or catarrhal form of pneumonia. Rheumatism existed decidedly as a sequel to fever.
The fever I attribute to malarial influences acting on men whose low pay cannot afford that
sustenance or clothing so necessary to combat disease when it has to be shared by so numerous a
body as the family of the Madras sepoy. Dysentery prevailed slightly, and was of the malarial
form. Diarrhœa furnishes but few admissions, considering we passed through a pretty vigorous out-
break of cholera in Sumbulpore. Cholera attacked a party at Binkah and caused four admissions
and two deaths.
One death occurred from pneumonia. It had its origin in an attack of hæmoptysis, under which
head he was admitted into hospital. Symptoms subsequently set in which lead the medical
officer then in charge to regard it as complicated with or ending in.pneumonia, from which the
patient died.
7 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—VIZAGAPATAM.
Arrived from Madras 14th February 1873.
Average strength
..
..
..
..
...
.. 707
Do. do. present
..
•
668
Admissions
..
•
•
•
• •
..
• •
..
449
Daily sick
•
...
..
25
Deaths in hospital
. ••
••
.
2
Do. out of do. •
• •
•
•
2
Pensioned
.
12
Sick leave
• 6
• •
•
..
25
The following return shows the rates of sickness, deaths, and invaliding as
contrasted with previous years :—
Years.
Stations.
Rate per Cent. of
Average Strength Present.
Average Strength.
Admissions. Daily Sick. All Deaths.
Pensioned. Sick Leave.
1872 ..
.. Madras
..
• •
131.43
4.79
1.11
6.15
5.59
1873 ..
.. Vizagapatam..
..
78.23
4.71
.85
2.84
5.68
1874...
..
Do.
• •
• .
85.72
10.50
1.42
3.13
3.70
Average ..
98.46
6.66
1.12
4.04
4.99
1875 ...
.. Vizagapatam. ..
..
67.21
3.74
.57
1.69
3.53