Clothing.
Duty, &c.
Exercise, &c.
Hospital.
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
218
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
not to any inferiority in the quality of the food, or any tendency to under-feeding. The bazar
was frequently inspected; the bazar supplies, including fish and vegetables, were abundant and
of good quality.
X. Clothing.-- Has, been fully described in the report for 1874; it appears to be suitable to
the climate.
XI. Duly and employment.—Necessarily light during the rains; became rather heavy
as the cold weather set in : number of nights in bed 14.2.
XII. Erercise and amusements.— During the early part of the year some of the men
practised wrestling and Indian clubs ; later on, regimental work took the place of amusements.
XIV. Hospital.—In addition to the usual annual repairs, the old mat walls have been re-
moved and ekra, plastered and white-washed, substituted ; this considerably improves the appear-
ance of the building and makes it warmer during the cold season ; but I am inclined to think
that the ventilation—a matter of great importance in an unhealthy station such as this is—will
not he as good during the hot weather as it was previous to the change. The hospital accom-
modation being quite insufficient, one of the barracks near the hospital was at the beginning
of September placed at the disposal of the sick; later on, as the number of patients increased,
some 20 or 30 men, suffering from the lighter forms of disease, were allowed to sleep in the
sepoy barracks, coming to hospital during the day for treatment. The hospital out-houses are
small and unsuitable ; it appears that there is, properly speaking, no cook-house belonging to
the hospital, the building so used having originally been intended for the native doctor, he
having at present to occupy a very small and unsuitable building in close proximity to the
hospital latrine. As our application for another cook-house has been sanctioned, I expect that
this defect will soon be remedied. A small, but much needed, dead-house is under construction
and will soon be completed.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.— Strength of the regiment—
Present
596.67
A b s e n t
1 0 1 . 8 5
Total
698 . 52
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number
of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER N NUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions.
Deaths.
A d m i s -
s i o n s .
Deaths. Daily average sick.
Head-quarters at Calcutta
and Cachar
1st January
31 December
534.3
1,008
14
44.8
189.21 2.62
8.38
Detachment, Monier Khal
16th Feb
Ditto
33.9
82
. . .
2.28 277.34
. . .
6.72
,, Noarband
Ditto
Ditto
31.1
32
. . .
.99 111.28
. . .
3.21
,, Jheereeghat
1st August
20th October
15.5
20
. . .
1.64
90.12
. . .
10.58
T o t a l
...
. . .
596.67
1,142
1 4 48.18
191.89 2.34
8.07
Number of deaths in hospital 14; out of hospital 6; total 20 ; per cent. of total strength
2.86
,, invalided 9 ; ,, ,,
1.28
,, sent on sick leave 32 ; ,, ,,
4.58
,, of days spent in hospital 17,586; per admission 15.35 ; per man of total strength
25.14
,, ,, ou sick leave 1,711 ; per man 53.46 ,, ,,
2.43
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
27.57
The amount of sickness among the men of the detachment at Mynadhur is not included
in the above, as, owing to the incompetency of the hospital assistant at that outpost, reliable
returns have not been sent to the head-quarters of the regiment.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.— Of a total of 1,145 admissions, 802 were for fevers,
viz ., ague (a) 771; ague (b) 18; ague (c) 1 ; remittent fever 9; simple febricula 3; dysentery
74; diarrhoea 57; injuries, principally to the feet from ill-fitting boots, 56; diseases of the
respiratory system 26; general debility 22 ; rheumatism 21 ; conjunctivitis 14 ; and cholera 10.
X V I I
. P r i n c i p a l c a u s e s o f m o r t a l i l y . —O
u t
of a total of 20 deaths, 14 occurred at head
- q u a r t e r s a n d 6 w h i l e a b s e n t o n s i c k l e a v e a n d f u r l o u g h . O f t h e 1 4 d e a t h s a t h e a d - q u a r t e r s , 6
were due to cholera ; 4 deaths are attributed to ague, in every case complicated by some other
disease; thus, in one instance, the patient was very weak from a previous severe attack of dysentery,
three others were sent in from the outposts, one for scurvy and ague, and two for ague and
diarrhoea.; phthisis puhnonalis caused 2 deaths; dysentery one, and pleurisy one.
XVIII. Epidemics.—An epidemic of cholera broke out while the regiment was proceeding,
from Cuttack to Cachar in country boats; the first case was on the 9th of February, two days
after leaving Cuttack ; the last on the 18th of' same month four days after arriving at Cachar.
In all, 14 persons were attacked, viz., 10 sepoys, of whom 6 died ; 3 camp followers, of whom
two women recovered, the third, a child, died ; a medical pupil was also attacked and died.
XIX. Vaccination.— During the year, four recruits were vaccinated, but unsuccessfully ; it
is probable that they had previously had small-pox. Among the camp followers 13 children
were successfully vaccinated. The regiment is well protected from small-pox by vaccination or
by previous attack.