Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Inspection.
66
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the regiment—
Present
.
.
. 830.2
Absent
.
.
. 104.1
Total . . . 934.3
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
number number
of sick.
PER CENT OF STRENGTH
P E R A N N U M .
From
To
Admis-sions. Deaths.
Admis- sions Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Indore and
Sehore . . . 1st January . . . 31st December
719.3
411
8
9.6 57.14 1.11 1.33
Detachment at Sehore . . . 25th February . . . 17th March . . .
390
11
. . .
3.
46.91
. . .
.79
Ditto at Indore . . . 1st January . . . 31st December
56
55
2
1.09 98.21 3.57 1.94
Escort at Delhi . . . 1st November . . . Ditto . . .
174
13
. . .
1.26 44.82
. . . .72
TOTAL . . .
. . .
. . . 830.2 490
10
11.1 59.02
1.20 1.33
Number of deaths in hospital 10; out of hospital 1; total
11; per cent. of total strength . . .
1.18
"
invalided . . . 19 ; " " . . .
2.03
" s e n t o n s i c k l e a v e . . . 6 ; " " . . .
.64
" of days spent in hospital 4,051; per admission 8.27; per man of total strength . . .
4.33
" "
on sick leave 1,296; per man . . . 216; " " . . .
1.39
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . .
5.72
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Mortality.
Hospital.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness. —The year has been remarkably healthy, there having
been 490 admissions, giving an average percentage of sick of 1.3. More than half the total
admissions were the result of the three types of malarious fever, there having been 228 ad
-
missions from that cause, or 58.7 per cent. Diseases of the digestive system caused 96 admis
-
sions, of which 65 and 21 were due, respectively, to dysentery and diarrhœa ; these diseases, which
are usually severe in this station, were each the cause of one death. Ten cases of a low
type of pneumonia occurred with two deaths. No other causes of sickness require special
remark.
XVII. Mortality. —There were ten deaths in hospital during the year, of which eight
occurred at head-quarters' hospital, and two in that of the detachment at Indore. A fatal
sporadic case of malignant cholera occurred in April. I failed entirely in my investiga
-
tion to discover the origin of this case, or its connection with any others, as at that time no case
had occurred in the station, nor did any occur until eleven days afterwards. One death occurred
from well-marked cirrhosis of liver in a contracted stage, with extensive, general, and abdom
-
inal dropsy. Eight other deaths occurred, viz., 2 from pneumonia, 1 each from dysentery and
diarrhœa, 1 from asthma, 1 from general debility, 1 from tetanus and 1 from syncope, but no
special remarks are necessary.
XVIII. Epidemics.—No epidemic has occurred during the year.
XIX. Vaccination. —Thirty-nine recruits, all that joined, were vaccinated during the year,
of which 25 were successful. All sepoys' children unprotected were also vaccinated.
Inspection.—Inspected by the Deputy Surgeon-General of the Saugor
Circle on the 2nd of March 1877. He reports that the sanitary conditions of
the lines were much the same as on the occasion of his last inspection, and
call for no special remarks. The men still resort to the jungle for necessary
purposes, and the Commanding Officer, Mr. Ross states, does not think the
local circumstances demand any change in the men's habits. The men, it is
reported, parade and march in "the ordinary native shoe," and in the long
march to and from Delhi there was not one foot-gall. The hospital and its
equipment were complete. The cleanliness of the hospital compound did not
appear to have been carefully looked after, as the Deputy Surgeon-General
observed untidy collections of broken brick and rubbish, several "chulas" close
to the hospital, and a hospital assistant's pony, cows and goat near the doors.
The recruits (39) were considered to be very promising young men, and the
entire regiment is reported as being "in fine physical order."