XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment :—
.
Present
4 1 2 . 6 7
Absent
•
•
•
•
.
.
4 5 . 3 3
Total
.
. 458
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
Inspection.
Detachments.
26
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
in which it is situated have been pruned, and the low hanging branches cut away. This is a
great, improvement.
S T A T I O N .
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER \
O F Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM,
From
To
Admis-
s i o n s . Deaths.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Segowlie
1st Jan. 1876 31st Dec. 1876 195.94 143
1
6.01 73.33
51 3.06
Detachment Gorakhpur
.
Ditto
... 25th Feb. „
43.25
1
...
1
15.07
...
15
Ditto
Benares
.
Ditto
... 28th Jan. „
106.31
9
...
14 110 .35 ... 1.71
Ditto
Barrackpore .
Ditto
31st Dec. „
87.50
104
3
3.75 118.85 3'42 4.28
TOTAL
.
.
.
412.67
257
4
10
62.27
96 2.42
Number of deaths in hospital 4; out of hospital 3; total
7; per cent. of total strength .
1.53
,,
invalided
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
7;
,,
,.
.
.
1.53
„
sent on sick leave .
.
.
.
.
.
.
7;
,.,
,,
.
.
1.53
,,
of days spent in hospital
3,652; per admission 14. 19; per man of total strength
.
7.97
''
,,
on sick leave 1,989; per man
.155.58;
,
.
.
2.38
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
10.35
Sickness &c
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Surgeon-Major Parsons reports that the general health of the corps has been satisfactory
throughout the year. The Barrackpore detachment has not been quite so healthy, but service
in Lower Bengal never appears to enable men of the North-Western Provinces to keep as well
as they do further north. During the year at head-Quarters, number of nights in bed—5.88.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—Of the 268 eases treated during the year, 107 were
cases of fever, principally intermittent ; next in order of frequency come cases of accidents,
51, more or less connected with cavalry duties. This number is smaller than that for most
years, but one or two cases of fracture have been very severe. There were 21 cases of
bowel complaints, including dysentery and diarrhœa; lastly come boils and skin diseases.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— Four deaths occurred in hospital during the year, 3
in the detachment at Barrackpore, and 1 at . head-quarters. Those in the detachment,
1 from intermittent fever, another from dysentery, a third from mortification of leg
after very severe compound fracture. Two deaths on leave were reported from fever ; the
c a u s e o f t h e
t h i r d i s u n k o w n .
VIII. Epidemics.—No epidemics visited the corps during the year, and in this it
was especially fortunate. For, from about July to the end of September, cholera was reported
in the district in almost every direction save north-west, and on one occasion cases occurred
on the opposite side of the river, a few hundred yards from the lines only. The precautions
taken were running sentries placed to prevent people coming into the station from the
directions reported affected, the fords over the rivers to the lines stopped, and the camp-
followers, especially grass-cutters, ordered to go in certain directions only, and men and all
warned against taking centain kinds of vegetables (seed cucumbers) and unripe fruit.
XIX. Vaccination.—The lymph received before the 31st December proved unsuccessful,
and a fresh supply was obtained : as all requiring vaccination were sought out carefully last year,
few remain to be done.
Inspection.—Deputy Surgeon-General Walker inspected the regiment o n
the 29th January 1877. The state of the lines and hospital as regards building
and conservancy was very satisfactory. The men of the corps presented a
very satisfactory appearance, and the recruits had been judiciously selected.
" The efficient drainage of the station," writes Dr. Walker, " during the
rainy season, when the water is higher outside than in, is a very difficult
matter ;" further improvements in this direction are however, under contem-
plation. The medical arrangements are favorably reported on, and the hospital
records found in good ord er.
Dr. Walker inspected the Gorakhpur detachment on the 25th January,
and found the lines in a satisfactory state—" no one was sick." The detach-
ment at Benares was inspected on the 12th February 1877. The accommoda-
tion, Dr. Walker remarks, " is very defective, but the conservancy of the huts
and lines was good, and the men clean and healthy—" in fact there was not one
sick.