Comparison
of statistics
of cas es
of blistered
feet in Her
Majesty's 18t
h Regiment
and the 37th
Regiment
Native
Infantry.
Invaliding.
Boots,
Admission
into hospital
for "blisters
of the feet."
xv
the thorough drainage (surface and subsoil) of our military cantonments would
be still more marked in their beneficial influences on. the public health, by caus
-ing a great decrease in those malarial diseases and cholera which are very pos
-sibly generated by the unwholesome emanations extricated from a wet or damp
soil by the action of a powerful sun. Those conditions, which in England are
now acknowledged to cause phthisis, rheumatism, &c., will in India not impro
-bably cause malarial fevers and cholera
38. Abundant evidence is adduced in the accompanying reports from regi
-mental medical officers to prove that considerable inefficiency has been caused
during the past year in consequence of the sepoys not wearing boots or shoes of
a suitable description. On the present occasion I shall offer no remark under
this heading, as the Government of India (in Military Department letter No.
435 S. of the 19th June 1877, with enclosure) informed me that His Excellency
the Commander-in-Chief, who himself is quite impressed with the importance
of this question, has drawn the special attention of commanding officers to it.
By this means, there is little doubt but that this important problem, which has
hitherto baffled all attempts to solve it, will sooner or later be definitely and
satisfactorily disposed of, and that, as a necessary result, the efficiency of the
Native Army will become proportionately increased.
39. The number of admissions into hospital from "blisters of the feet"
during 1876, as well as
their proportion per
cent. of the total admis
-sions and strength, is
shown in the annexed
table. For the sake of
comparison, similar sta
-tistics of each year, and
of the average, of the
preceding quinquennial
period, are also given.
It will be observed that
during 1876 "blisters
of the feet" caused
2,298 admissions into
hospital, or at the rate
of 3.03 per cent. of strength, and 4.26 per cent. of the total admissions. These
figures contrast unfavourably with the average of the five preceding years.
40. I make no apology for re-producing the following extract from the
interesting sanitary report of the 41st Regiment Bengal Infantry written by
Surgeon J. Lewtas, M.B. He remarks as follows:
—
"Overwhelming evidence of the disadvantage at which the Native troops are placed by
the want of socks is obtained by contrasting the admissions for 'blisters of the feet' during the
y e a r 1 8 7 0 a m o n g s t E u r o p e a n a n d N a t i v e t r o o p s b o t h s e r v i n g i n I n d i a . F r o m a n a v e r a g e
strength of 53,996 Native troops serving in Bengal, the admissions from this cause were 1,872;
whilst from an average strength of 54,583 European troops serving in India, at the same time,
the admissions from the same cause were only 72; in other words, for equal strength, the
admissions from this cause were as 34.6 to 1.3."
These figures, Mr. Lewtas remarks, require no comment to make their
significance more striking or clearer.
41. Surgeon-Major R. F. Hutchinson, M.D., in his sanitary report
gives the following statistics regarding cases of blistered feet, as treated in
the hospitals of Her Majesty's 18th Regiment, and 37th Regiment Bengal
Native Infantry, from the 4th February to the 31st December 1876,— viz.;
in the British Regiment there were only 5 admissions (one man twice), or
at the rate of .81 per cent. of average strength; while in the Native Regiment
there were 68 admissions during the same period, or at the rate of 10.8 per cent.
of average strength.
42. According to existing rules, a sepoy after 15 years' service is entitled
to a life pension of Rs. 4 per mensem, provided be is pronounced by the
Annual Invaliding Committee to be "unfit for any further service whatsoever,
either ordinary or in the field." After 15 years' service, the sepoy is, as a rule,
from 32 to 39 years of age, and considering the nature of the duties he has
ADMISSIONS INTO HOSPITAL FOR BLISTERS OF THE FEET.
YEARS.
ADMISSIONS.
PER CENT. OF
Admissions,
Strength.
1871
2,429
3.37
4 . 4 9
1872
2,167
2.06
4 . 0 6
1873
2,194
3.10
4 . 1 0
1874
1,148
1.63
2.17
1875
2,542
3.68
4 . 7 4
Average
2,096
2.77
3 . 9 1
1876
2 , 2 9 8
3.03
4 . 2 6
Statistics
of cases of
blistered feet