MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Clothing.
Duty and
employment.
Exercises,
amusements
and occupa
-tions.
regiment at Nagode. Mutton, ghee, dhal, salt, and other necessaries can be obtained at a
reasonable rate, and there is no scarcity of vegetables. Beef is scarce, and, of course, dear; and
good fruit is not obtainable. The men generally look well nourished, and cases of under
-feeding are not often noticed.
X. Clothing.— The clothing of the men is well suited to the climate, and is made to vary
with the season of the year. In the hot months and during the monsoon it is composed
almost entirely of light cotton materials, but in the cold weather thick cloth tunics and
woollen trowsers are worn; also heavy great coats when on duty at night or in the early
morning. These latter are a great comfort to the men, and preserve them from the injurious
effects of the cold. The boots in use are made of coarse country leather. The undress cloth
-ing worn by the men in the cold weather, in my opinion, is scarcely sufficient for such a climate
as that of this station.
XI. Duty and employment.—The duties, as a rule, have been light and not injurious to
health. They consisted of the usual parades, guard mountings, occasional detachment duty,
escorting treasure, escort to the Political Agent, &c., &c. Some of the older men find the
running drill rather irksome, and they frequently apply to be excused from it.
Average number of nights in bed 6.20.
XII. Exercises, amusements and occupations.—Very few of the men occupy their leisure
moments in gardening. Some of the drummers and musicians occasionally go out shooting;
and there are several men who are fond of cricket, which taste is encouraged by the European
officers. Fishing is practised by a small section, but most of the sepoys, when not on duty;
lend n very idle life, and time would seem to hang heavily on their hands.
Marches and
service.
Hospital.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XIII. Marches and service.— The regiment has not been on the line of march during the
year under review.
XIV. Hospital.—The hospital and its out-houses have been fully described in the
report for 1873. The building has been re-thatched and lime-washed twice during the year,
repairs have been carefully looked after, and there has been no overcrowding of the wards.
The bedding is in good order and sufficient in quantity. The water-supply for the hospital is
procured from a well close to the building, the quality has been good, and the quantity
sufficient throughout the year. The ventilation and drainage leave nothing to be desired.
XV.Sickness, mortality and invaliding.— Strength of the Regiment—
Present
.
.
.
654.27
A b s e n t . . .
47.78
Total . . .
702.05
S T A T I O N .
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER OF
Average daily
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH PER
ANNUM.
From
To
Admissions. Deaths.
Admissions. Deaths.
Daily
average sick.
Head-quarters at
Nagode.
1st January
1875.
31st Decem-
ber 1875.
654.27
361
6
9
55.17
.91
1.37
Number of deaths in hospital 5 ; out of hospital 1; total 6 ; per cent. of total strength . . . .85
" i n v a l i d e d . . . 2 0 ;
" " . . . 2.84
"
sent on sick leave 8; " " . . . 1.13
" of days spent in hospital 3295; per admission 9.12 ; per man of total strength . . . 4.69
" " on sick leave 1087; per man 135.87; " " . . . 1.54
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . . 6.24
Principal
causes of sick
-ness.
Fevers.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.— As already observed, the year under consideration
has on the whole been a healthy one. The total number of admissions was 361, rather more
than half of which (197) were for the different varieties of malarious fevers. September and
October gave the largest number of admissions, viz., 71 in the former and 63 in the latter
month the average daily sick in these months being 15.90 and 13.87, respectively. Novem
-ber comes next, with 51 admissions and average daily sick 13.86. The chief cause of sickness
during the last quarter of the year was undoubtedly owing to the prevalence of the various fever
types of intermittent fever. Of a total of 197 cases of ague, 144 were quotidian, 33 tertian,
3 quartau, and 17 irregular.With very few exceptions, the fever was of a mild character and
readily amenable to treatment. Splenic enlargement was a rare sequence, and only in two or
three instances was convalescence any way protracted or tedious. A state of anæmia and
each exia was now and then observed to ensue after repeated attacks, but even that condition
soon yielded to a generous diet and the preparations of iron. No case of remittent fever came
under observation during the year; 19 admissions were due to the different varieties of rheu
-matism, and, contrary to what might be expected,. this affection does not seem to be more fre
-quent in the cold season than at other periods of the year. The cases of rheumatism call for
no lengthened remarks. In more than one instance there was a strong suspicion of a syphilitic
taint in the system, but exposure of some kind or other was most frequently the exciting