LAHORE DIVISION.
143
Marches, &c.
Hospital.
Recommend-
ations.
Special observ
-
ations.
The bed of kunkur, which interferes with the sub-soil drainage, is usually considered to be the
main cause of the excessive unhealthiness of Meean Meer. Extensive drains are now being
made in the European lines through the kunkur; it remains to be seen whether they will effect
t h e o b j e c t t h e y a r e b e i n g m a d e f o r .
The regiment marched for the Camp of Exercise at Delhi early in No
-
vember, and arrived there on the 6th December, remaining until the end of the
year. The huts at Meean Meer are stated to have been badly ventilated; the
drainage is said to be imperfect; the water-supply was from wells, but was dis
-
liked by the men, being brackish; the supply of food was abundant.
XII Exercise and amusement.— The men have no amusements; a sickly pepul tree or a
blighted pumpkin limits the mens' attempt at gardening.
Exercise and
amusement.
XIII. Marches, &c.—I have no data from which to describe the transactions at the Camp
of Exercise, to which about 500 rank and file went on 3rd November.
XIV. Hospital.—The hospital is very good, and when the out-offices, lately sanctioned,
and a more commodious and better-situated latrine, also sanctioned, are finished, there will be
little to desire for the treatment of the sick, so far as buildings are concerned.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.— Strength of the regiment
Present . . .
624.68
Absent . . .
73.98
Total . . .
698.66
STATION.
PERIOD
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
average
number
of sick.
PER CENT OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions.
Deaths,
A d m i s - s i o n .
Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Meean Meer
1st January . . . 2nd November
565.93 1,080
16
24.43 236.00
3.34
4.31
Ditto at Camp of
Exercise . . .
3rd November 31st December
511.46
153
2
21.12 188.26
2.46
4.19
Detachment at Amritsar . . .
1st January . . . 2nd March . . .
196.15
15
1
1.94
46.52
3.10
0.98
Detachment at Meean Meer,
mostly sick and weakly
men . . .
3rd November 31st December
186.24
128
. . .
21.77 432.57
. . .
11.61
TOTAL . . .
. . .
. . .
624.88 1,376
19
32.22 220.28
3.04
5.10
Number of deaths in hospital 19; out of hospital 4; total 2 3; per cent. of total strength . . .
3.29
" invalided . . . 32
; " " . . .
4.58
" sent on sick leave. . .47;
" " . . .
6.72
" of days spent in hospital 11,760; per admission 8.54 ; per man of total strength . . .
16.83
" " on sick leave 5,170; per man 110; " " . . .
7.39
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . . 24.22
XX. Recommendations.— I do not find that any recommendation was made during the year
except to lessen
the men's duties much as possible. which was done.
XXI. Special observations.—I observe that, commenting upon the jail return of 1874, the
Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab observes that the health of the prisoners is as good as that
of native troops serving in the Punjab; there must certainly be something very wrong in the
hygiene of the native army when this is the case. This regiment has a fearfully high death, sick and
invaliding rate for the past year; a very large number of the men are anæmic, weakly and dispirited,
and there are many with enlarged spleens, and not a few in whom the seeds of phthisis have been
sown. I am persuaded that much of the sickness of the native army is due to two cases, both
remediable, viz., first, that the men do not get enough to eat; second, that they are over
-
crowded in ill-ventilated barracks to an extent quite incomnitable with health.
Dr. G. H. Ray made his inspection of this regiment on the 16th March
1876. The lines are described as being very bare and dreary, and they suffered
a good deal from the severe rains in 1875; the ventilation of the huts is said to
be defective. Some of the men obtain their drinking water from a branch of
the canal which runs near the lines, and apparently with benefit. The latrine
which was in use when the last inspection was made was washed down by
the heavy rains of 1875, and a new one has been put up, about 400 yards to the
front beyond the parade ground. Fire-places have been. constructed in the
hospital, and purdahs have been supplied, and the benefit resulting from these
most important and necessary aids in the proper treatment of the sick has been
great. All the details in hospital for the comfort and proper care of the sick
were considered quite satisfactory.
Inspection.