86 MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Native shoes.
Duty and
employment.
Exercise and
amusements.
Marches.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
tion of the native shoe or something similar on long marches and ordinary parades would be
attended with less loss of service. During the year from blistered feet alone 24 men were
admitted into hospital, or a percentage of 3.78.
XI. Duty and employment. —The nights in bed for all ranks have been as follows :—
Native officers .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 7.25
Havildars .
.
.
.
.
. .
.
.
.
.
8.21
Naicks
.
.
.
. .
.
.
.
. .
. 10.12
Buglers
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
8.08
Sepoys
.
.
.
.
. .
.
. .
.
.
8.10
It will be seen that the ordinary station duties during the year were light. On the
march there were the daily morning marches for an average duration of 4½ hours ; sentry
and guard duties.
XII. Exercise and amusements. —The men seem fond of gymnastic exercises, especially
H Company, the Sikhs. The Adjutant informs me that the recruits go through a course of
running, clubs, parallel bars, &c., and are much benefited thereby.
XIII. Marches. — To enter into a detailed description of the several camping stations along
the often trod route, the grand trunk road, would serve no useful purpose. The marches were
by regular stages to the regular camping-grounds, which we, in almost every instance, being the
first regiment on the route, found clean and suitable. Generally, there was a halt every seven
days. Before leaving Meerut it was thought advisable to have an inspection of the regiment, when
21 men who had suffered much from fever were left behind, in addition to 25 men then in
hospital. Fears were entertained that others who had also suffered much would give way
under the weight of arms and accoutrements, but on the contrary, marching was attended with
evident benefit to their health ; and although at first even a superficial observer could notice
many men coming into camp weary and fatigued, before the end of the first month every man
not on the sick list could walk his three miles an hour with the greatest ease. The camping-
grounds from Dehri on to Dinapore appeared to be seldom used ; many of them had been
recently under cultivation, and nearly all are far too cramped for camping purposes. The road,
as previously mentioned, is in a state of thorough disrepair. No incidents calling for special
mention took place on the march. As a hospital on the march, tents (two large pâls), sufficient
to accommodate over 20 men, were used. Straw, covered with water-proof sheeting, was
provided for the patients to lay their bedding on.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment—
Present .
. .
.
.
. . . .
. . . . 634.94
Absent .
. . . . . . . .
. .
. . 74.58
Total
.
. . 709.52
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Meerut . 1st Jan. 1876 19th Oct. 1876 574.52 528
3
12. 56
114.87
. 6 5 2. 18
Do. en route to Bhagalpur 20th Oct.
31st Dec. 1876 675
182 ...
13.21 134.81 ...
1.96
Detachment at Umballa . 1st Jan. 1876 28th Feb. 1876 264. 77
30 ...
10.08 71.94 ...
3.81
TOTAL ...
. . .
...
634. 94
740
3
14.15 116.54
. 4 7 2.23
Number of deaths in hospital 3, out of hospital 4; total
7; per cent. of total strength .
.99
„
invalided
. . .
.
. .
.
7;
„ „
.
.99
„
sent on sick leave .
. . .
. .
7 ;
„ „
. .99
„
of days spent in hospital 5,176; per admission . 6.91; per man of total strength
. 7 . 2 9
„
„ on sick leave 777 ; per man . 111 ; „ „
. 1.09
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. 8 . 3 8
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Mortality.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness. —Ague and dysentery give the greatest number of admis-
sions : from the former alone 489 (only 20 cases recorded of the severe forms), and from the latter
46. Next. in order of prevalence come injuries 32 ; affections of the respiratory system 24, including
2 cases of phthisis ; blisters of the feet 24 ; abscess 17; conjunctivitis 14 ; and primary syphilis
11, &c. The cause of the excessive preponderance of malarious affections in the cantonment
of Meerut has been already attributed to a water-logged soil ( vide report for 1874).
XVII. Principal causes of mortality. —Of a total of 7 deaths, 3 are reported to have died of
ague and its consequences ; of phthisis 1 ; of dysentery 1; of sunstroke 1; and at his home of
cholera 1.