Principal
causes of
sickness.
Dysentery.
Mumps.
94 MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number
of sick.
P E R C E N T . O F S T R E N G T H
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
s i o n .
Deaths.
Admis-
s i o n s .
Deaths.
Daily
average
s i c k .
Head-quarters at Camp of
Exercise . . .
1st January . 24th January . 497.04
45
. . .
6.66 137.66
...
1.33
Head-quarters at Delhi
. 25th ditto . 31st December 601.08 1,143
7
37.68 203.73 1.24
6.26
Detachment at Delhi
.
1st ditto . 24th January . 162.00
12
...
7.92 112.67 ...
4.88
„ at Meerut
. 17th October . 31st December 108.88
18
...
1.54 79.40 ...
1.41
TOTAL
.
.
. . . . . .
......
629.80 1,218
7
36.68 193.39 1.11 5.82
Number of deaths in hospital 7 ; out of hospital 2 ; total .
9 ; per cent. of total strength
. 1.28
„
invalided
.
. .
.
37; „ „
.
5.26
„
sent on sick leave
.
.
10;
„ „
. 1.42
„
of days spent in hospital 13,542; per admission . 11.11 ; per man of total strength
. 19.27
„
„ on sick leave 2,064; per man
. 206.40;
„ „
. 2.93
Total temporary loss of service per man to total strength
. 22.20
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Blisters of the
feet.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness. —Ague heads the list with 848 admissions, as compared
with 569 in 1875, 301 in 1874, and 264 in 1873. The regiment was fairly healthy as regards
this disease till the beginning of August, when quite suddenly large numbers of men were
attacked. Unfortunately, the meteorological observations were not very accurately taken, as the
medical staff of the regiment were nearly all suffering from fever, but an endeavour has been
made to trace a connection between the outbreak of this fever and the rise and fall of the river
Jumna. The river bed is situated less than half a mile from the regimental lines, and is about
two miles broad. During the greater part of the year, the river flows in several small chan-
nels, and the remaining portion of the river bed is partly a sandy waste and partly culti-
vated. It was observed that a rise in the river up to about 656.5 feet above the sea level only
affected the usual channels of the river, and that the level cachar land forming the river bed
remained dry ; but a rise of an inch or two above this caused large tracts of level land to be sub-
merged. The river began to rise on the 8th July, and rose without any considerable fall up to the
26th, and on that date a large extent of country was about a foot under water. From the 28th
July to the 2nd August the river had subsided to its usual channels, leaving the cachar land
covered with a deposit of decomposing organic matter and mud exposed to the action of the
sun and air. The outbreak of the ague began on the 7th of August, and steadily progressed
till the 19th. I am Inclined to think that it ought to be put back from two to three days, say
from the 5th to the 17th, as men seldom come to hospital unless they are put on duty for the
first day of their fever, so that the period from the 28th July to the 2nd August, when the
river bed was covered with exposed mud, may be taken as corresponding with the beginning
and progress of the outbreak of ague, from the 5th to the 17th August. From the 19th
to the 27th August, there was a period when the progress of the disease was delayed,
which seems to correspond to the time when the cachar lands were flooded from the 4th to
the 17th August. After this, the river deposit was again exposed and the ague went on with
increasing severity. A wing of the regiment was moved about two miles and encamped near
Hindoo Rao's house on the ridge from 9th to 25th October. It is difficult to say whether this
had any good effect, as the severity of the disease had then begun to decline. Prophylactics
of quinine and arsenic were also administered to all men of the regiment, and were considered
to be beneficial by the officer then in medical charge.
The next disease in order of frequency has been dysentery with 61 admissions. There
were 46 admissions in 1875 and 27 in 1874. The conditions upon which this disease depends,
appears to be due to the same causes which produce ague. It appears probable that a certain
amount of cold or chill to the surface of the body is also required to induce dysentery, for
only 9 cases were admitted in the six hot months of the year from March to August, the
greatest number of cases in any month being in January, the coldest month of the year. Mumps
caused 43 admissions. Chronic rheumatism takes the fourth place in order of frequency ; 29
cases against 57 in 1875, 28 in 1874, and 105 in 1873. Twenty men were invalided for
pension on account of this disease, and it principally affects old men of long service. Blisters
of the feet caused 23 admissions against 37, 63, and 55 in the three preceding years. The
marked improvement which is shewn in respect to this disease is due to the greater care which
has been taken in the selection of the men's boots.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality. —There have been 9 deaths during the year, 2
of which occurred out of hospital, 1 from a suicidal gun-shot wound, and the other man died
on furlough; cause of death unknown. Of the 7 cases in hospital, 4 were from ague, 1 from
pleurisy, 1 from empyema, and 1 from remittent fever. The 4 fatal cases of ague occurred
in October and November, at the time that disease was so prevalent in the regiment. These