85
NORTHERN DIVISION OF THE ARMY.
under treatment. Only 1 case of scurvy was admitted. General dropsy gave 1 admission,
which terminated fatally; the cause was believed to be hepatic, but the diagnosis could
not be verified by post-mortem. An obscure case of sciatica, accompanied with wasting of the
muscular tissue of the thigh, was admitted; he was subsequently invalided. A case of
deafness, the result of repeated attacks of inflammation, will probably have to be invalided.
The case of palpitation and irregularity of the action of the heart, remaining from last year,
was invalided, there having been no improvement; the true nature of the case remained
obscure. Diseases of the respiratory organs gave 35 admissions, or 5.2 per cent., against 17,
or 2.5 per cent., last year. 24 of these cases are mitered under bronchial catarrh; there was a
marked tendency to these affections during the last two months of the year. Most of the
fever cases presented catarrhal symptoms. One case of phthisis terminated fatally. Diseases
of the digestive system gave in all (64 admissions, or 9.5 per cent., against 60, or 9 per cent.,
last year. There were 10 cases of dysentery, or 1.5 per cent., against 17, or 2.5 per cent., in
1874; all yielded readily to treatment. Of 2 cases of abscess of the rectum one was simple and
recovered rapidly; the other was much more serious. The man applied with symptoms of
fissure, but none could be found: a small abscess subsequently formed inside the sphincter,
and evacuated itself freely and spontaneously. The case seemed to be doing well, when
erysipelatous inflammation set in, involving the surrounding parts and the scrotum, resulting
in sloughing of a large portion of the cellular tissue in the neighbourhood of the anus: the
man's life was in danger for some days, and his recovery, though complete, was very tedious.
In the case of non-malignant tumour of the rectum the cyst was said to be of long standing,
but had lately become inflamed and painful; it was excised, and found to contain a quantity
of cheesy matter. 1 case of hepatitis, 1 of hepatic abscess, and 3 of simple enlargement of
the liver were under treatment. The case of abscess terminated fatally; it was interesting in
an anatomical point of view, there being complete transposition of the liver and spleen.
5 cases of congestion of the spleen were simple; but a case of splenitis threatens to terminate
fatally, the man being in a very bad state of health generally. 3 cases appear under disease
of the urinary system. A case of Bright's disease presents no symptoms of dropsy as yet,
but a large amount of albumen passes off daily in the urine. The man declares that he feels
Quite well. A case of calculus of the kidney was operated on last year for stone in the
bladder. The diagnosis in the present instance was not confirmed by the passage of any
concretion; the man was invalided. The man who was admitted with calculus in the
ureter showed a number of concretions which he said he had passed when absent on
furlough; the largest of them was clearly a pebble, though lie declared he had passed it after
considerable pain and difficulty. The others were all urinary concretions. He passed two similar
ones whilst in hospital, and the symptoms disappeared. The case of contraction of tendons
was transferred from under the heading "corn"; the man originally suffered from callosities
on each heel, which he declared were so painful that he could not place the heel on the ground.
He always walked on his toes like a case of talipes equinus; from continually doing so the
tendons crossing the ankle-joint were becoming contracted and the bones displaced; the
man was invalided. Diseases of the cellular tissue gave 16 admissions, or 2.4 per cent., against
15, or 2.2 per cent., last year. 10 were cases of abscess, 6 of guineaworm; the latter occurred
in 3 individuals, all recruits lately joined. Diseases of the cutaneous system gave 41 ad
-missions, or 6.1 per cent., against 53, or 7.9 per cent., in 1874. A case of obstinate impetigo
was sent on sick leave; lie derived no benefit from the change, and was, therefore, invalided.
1 case of snake-bite was admitted; one puncture only was found on the outer edge of the
foot. The symptoms were local only. The man said he had killed the snake, which was
about a foot long; he did not produce it. Injuries gave 25 admissions, or 3.7 per cent., against
46, or 7 per cent., last year. 18 were cases of contusion, 1 of fracture, 5 sprain, and 1 burn.
Two of the cases of contusion were rather severe: the men were standing with a number
of others on the top of a house in the town witnessing some wrestling; a stone gave way,
and they fell a height of about 20 feet, some stones and persons falling on them. One man
was insensible when brought to hospital, but speedily rallied; he was found to have received
a severe contusion of the chest and a moderate blow on the head; the other had received
a severe blow on the right side of the head. It was thought at first that the skull was
fractured, but no serious symptoms were developed, though he was laid up for a consider
-able time. The fracture, a simple one of the left upper arm, was sustained by a weakly
recruit, of feeble muscular development, whilst wrestling in the gymnasium with a power
-ful opponent. One case of sprain (of the loins) was caused in the same way.
10. Four of the cases treated in hospital terminated fatally: 1 from remittent fever,
1 abscess of the liver, 1 pneumonic phthisis, and 1 from
general dropsy.
11. Twenty-three men were sent before the invaliding committee; 7 of these were sent
from hospital. Of those sent, 21 were pensioned and 2 were
remanded, one of the two being a hospital case. One man was
discharged by court-martial, 1 at his own request, and 1 for misconduct.
B 6 6 —
ν
Mortality.
Invaliding.