Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Recommenda
-
tions.
Special
obervations
and remarks.
224
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Principal
causes of
sickness
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—
Station.
Admission.
1873
Dera Ghazi Khan
1,073
1874
Ditto
1,164
1875
Dera Ismail Khan
797
The admissions during the present year have fallen far below the two previous years. The
large number of admissions during the year 1874 at Dera Ghazi Khan was caused by the great
prevalence of fevers, which attacked equally and severely the civil population and the sepoys, and
which was supposed to be the result of the great inundation of the surrounding country by the
overflow of the Indus. The recruits especially suffered. The following table shows the
relative number of admissions from all the varieties of fever for the year 1874-75:—
1874.
DISEASES.
Admissions. 1875.
DISEASES.
Admissions.
D e r a G h a z i K h a n . Ague (a)
747
D e r a I s m a i l K h a n .
Ague (a)
2 8 0
„ ( b )
44
„ (b)
12
( c )
3
„ ( c )
15
Remittent fever
6
Remittent fever
7
Simple continued fever
12
Simple continued fever
5
TOTAL
812
TOTAL
319
Severe head symptoms were often associated with the more violent forms of fever. In
o n e c a s e , w h i c h h a s b e e n r e t u r n e d u n d e r t h e h e a d o f r e m i t t e n t f e v e r , c o m p l e t e s u p p r e s s i o n o f
urine for some hours, with rice-water stools and slight cramps, was associated with great heat of
skin and restlessness. On the 10th of May, a sepoy who was under treatment in hospital for
ague (a), was seized with symptoms of cholera and died rapidly. This case is worthy of record,
as the occurrence of this disease in the station is hardly known even by the oldest inhabitant.
Bronchial affections have greatly increased, and whereas in 1874 only 5 cases of pneumonia
were treated, in the year 1875, 35 cases were treated in hospital, the number of admissions
reaching the maximum in February, or shortly after the arrival of the regiment at Dera Ismail
Khan. Three of these cases originated in hospital, in men who were under treatment for other
diseases, and a fourth in an attendant on a bad case suffering from the disease. The
disease slowly disappeared with the advent of the hot weather. Frontier sores have been very
troublesome to treat, and many sepoys have been detained months in hospital on this account.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Inspection.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.—Ten deaths occurred in hospital as follows:—
Diseases.
Number.
Pneumonia
6
Congestion of spleen
1
Dysentery
1
Tabes mesenterica
1
Cholera
1
Total 10
One jemadar and a sepoy were murdered at an outpost, and a sepoy who was wounded at the
same time died at his home.
X V I I I . E p i d e m i c s . —
N o n e .
XIX. Vaccination.— A few children have been vaccinated in the regimental lines. The
men have not been vaccinated, as most of the recruits at the time of admission presented either
marks of small-pox or inoculation.
XX. Recommendations. —The various recommendations that have been made during the
year have always received attention.
XXI. Special observations and remarks.— The health of the regiment has on the whole
been good during the year. The excess in the number of deaths over the mortality of 1874
was probably caused by the violent outbreak of pneumonia, which has this year committed
ravages amongst many of the regiments composing Punjab Frontier Force. The health
of the men on duty at the outposts has been much better this year. The admissions from all
causes were only 58, as compared with the total 232 of 1874. The number of men sent on
sick leave has also increased. Of the total number, however, 8 were men who had been sent up
before the Annual Invaliding Committee, but who were returned for further treatment and sick
leave. All these cases were re-admitted into hospital on their return from sick leave, and
with several others have helped to fill up the superficial space in hospital and to swell the
daily average sick.
On the occasion of his inspection on the 2nd December, Mr. Banister
found that the barracks were in good order and afforded ample space for the