Marches and
service.
Hospital.
Syphilis.
Causes of
mortality.
32
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
XIII. Marches and service .—The regiment left Cawnpore on the 14th December, and
arrived at Calcutta on the 17th December, travelling by special train, and halting for a few
hours at Dinapore and Muddapore.
XIV. Hospital .—The hospital at Cawnpore has been described in former reports, and
no alteration was made during the year. No overcrowding occurred at any time. At Calcutta
the patients were treated for a few days in the hospital tent, and afterwards removed to one
of the hospitals at Alipore.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding .—Strength of the regiment—
Present
.
.
. 630.9
Absent
.
.
.
76.27
Total . . . 707.17
Principal
causes of
sickness.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUM-
BER OF
D a i l y a v e r a g e n u m b e r o f s i c k .
P E R C E N T . O F S T R E N G T H P E R
ANNUM.
From
To
A d m i s s i o n .
D e a t h s i n h o s p i t a l .
A d m i s s i o n .
D e a t h s .
D a i l y a v e r a g e s i c k .
Head-quarters at Cawnpore . . .
1st Jan. 14th Dec.
629.4 245
3
10.8
40.6
.49 1.7
Ditto at Calcutta . . .
17th Dec 31st Dec.
670.0
23
. . 15.5
83.6
2.3
TOTAL . . .
630.9
268
3
10.9
42.47
.47 1.72
Number of deaths in hospital 3; out of hospital, 3; total 6; per cent. of total strength . . .
.84
" " invalided . . . 41; " " . . .
5.79
" sent on sick leave . . .3; " " . . .
.42.
" of days spent in hospital 3,986; per admission, 14.87; per man of total strength . . .
5.63
" " on sick leave 355; per man 118.3; " ". . .
.50
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . . 6.13
XVI. Principal causes of sickness .—Ague as usual heads the list, but the number of
admissions for this disease (105) are fewer than in any former year. There has been a steady
diminution in the number of cases of ague during the time the regiment has been stationed at
Cawnpore. Conjunctivitis gave 25 admissions. The great majority of these cases occurred in the
months of April, May, June and July, and were no doubt caused by the dust, heat and glare.
Under the head of abscess there were 20 admissions. Dysentery gave 17 admissions, occurring
mostly during the rains and in the cold weather; and diarrhœa 15 admissions, pretty equally
distributed troughout the year. There were only 5 admissions from primary syphilis, and
none for gonorrhœa.
XVII. Causes of mortality.—Of the deaths within the hospital, one was from cholera,
one from diarrhœa, and one from phthisis. Of the three patients who died out of hospital,
the cause of death in one was pulmonary phthisis, and in the other two, ague.
Epidemics.
Station Staff
Dispensary,
Cawnpore.
Inspection.
XVIII. Epidemics .—One slight outbreak of cholera occurred during the year. A sepoy,
who had only returned a few days from leave, was attacked and died. Two women and two
children, living in the regimental bazaar, were also attacked, and all of these died except
one of the women. The houses were cleared out and carefully disinfected, and no fresh cases
occurred. Cholera was prevailing at the time in the city and in the sudder bazaar. The first
case occurred on the 21st of July, and the last on the 25th.
Station Staff Dispensary, Cawnpore.—Surgeon A. Deane, 35th Regiment
Bengal Infantry, was in medical charge of the brigade staff from the 1st Janu
-ary to the 11th December 1875, and was then succeeded by Surgeon-Major J. B.
Hamilton, M. D., of the Army Medical Department.
The Deputy Surgeon-General of the Allahabad Circle inspected the staff dis
-pensary on the 29th March 1876. At the time of inspection the dispensary was
allowed accommodation in the hospital building of the 31st Regiment Bengal
Infantry. Dr. Walker reports that the medicines and instruments were in a
satisfactory condition, and were under the charge of 1st Class Hospital
Assistant Sahadit Ali, of whose conduct and qualifications both Surgeon Deane
and Surgeon-Major Hamilton spoke in high terms.