Exercise, &c.
Marches and
service.
Mortality.
Epidemics.
64
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
instead of muskets, and the course of musketry instruction has just been commenced for the
first time.
XII. Exercise, amusements and occupation .—The fatigue duties have been less severe,
owing to the construction of the temporary bund across the river being no longer necessary.
XIII. Marches and service .—Besides the march of the head-quarters to Indore in the
month of March, Mentioned before, the marches in relief of detachments have been frequent,
and those are frequently through very malarious districts.
Sickness
mortality, and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding .—Strength of the corps—
Present . . .
433
Absent . . .
162
Total . . .
595
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Remarks.
Vaccination.
STATION.
PERIOD.
strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number
of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis-sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
From
To
Head-quarters at Sirdarpore
1st Jan. 1876 31st Dec. 1876
433
462
6
13.31 106.70 1.38
3.07
Number of deaths in hospital 6; out of hospital 1; total . . . 7; per cent. of total strength . . .
1.17
" invalided . . . 18; " " . . .
3.02
" sent on sick leave " 4; " " . . .
.67
" of days spent in hospital 4,860; per admission . . . 10.51; per man of total strength . . .
8.17
" " on sick leave 765; per man . . . 191.25; " " . . .
1.28
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . .
9.45
XVI. Principal causes of sickness .—Out of 462 cases admitted during the year, there were
of malarious fevers 180, or 39 per cent.; injuries (all slight) 44, including 15 of blisters of
the feet; guinea-worm 38; abscess, ulcers and boils 34; conjunctivitis 30; diseases of re
- s p i r a t o r y s y s t e m 3 0 , i n c l u d i n g 1 3 o f p n e u m o n i a ; d i a r r h œ a a n d d y s e n t e r y 2 1 ; i t c h 1 1 ; r h e u m a t i c
affections 9; general debility 9; mumps 8; leprosy 4. During May and June there were
13 men admitted with slight continued fever, accompanied by a transient papular eruption
somewhat resembling that of measles, and in a few instances by slight catarrhal symptoms
and frequently by diarrhœa; their convalescence was very rapid, the average number of
days it was necessary to keep them in hospital being only 4.4. There were at the same
time many similar cases amongst women and children in the lines. At first I was inclined
to consider it a very mild form of measles, but the short duration of the disease and the absence
of catarrhal symptoms in most of the cases was against this view, and the disease is entered
i n t h e r e t u r n s a s " F e b r i c u l a . "
XVII. Principal causes of mortality .—Of 6 deaths in and 1 out of hospital, 2 are referred
to quotidian ague, 2 to pneumonia, 2 to general debility, and 1 to mumps.
XVIII. Epidemics .—There was one case of small-pox amongst the men of the corps.
This makes only the second since my connection with the corps in 1868, a circumstance
attributable to almost every man in the corps being protected by attacks prior to enlistment.
Vaccination being compulsory amongst the children in the station, any considerable epidemic
cannot occur; but some of the men's families are always absent during the vaccinating season
with friends in the Bheel villages, or with men of the corps on command; and thus it happened
that this year there were 9 cases of small-pox amongst the children.
Vaccination .—During the year, the number of children of fighting-men vaccinated
was 111, of which 98 or 88 per cent. were known to be successful; of the remaining 13,
about half had left the station before the result was known.
XXI. Remarks .—Men were invalided during the year on the following accounts:
—
For general debility, in most cases the consequence of age, 11; leprosy, 4; congestion of
spleen, 2; impaired vision 1; total 18. One of those invalided for spleen, being of under
three years' service, was discharged merely on the recommendation of the medical officer;
the remaining 17, being of over three years' service, and consequently entitled to the small
gratuity of one month's pay for each three years' service completed, had to appear before the
Regimental Invaliding Committee. The men of the corps receive no pensions.
Inspection.
Inspection .—Inspected by the Deputy Surgeon-General, Saugor Circle, on
the 10th of March 1877. The sanitary conditions of the lines remain unchanged
since the inspection for 1875. A new bund has been made across the river,
which gives a good sheet of water. The hospital contains all the necessary