23
ALLAHABAD DIVISION .
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number of sick.
PER CENT OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From.
To.
Admis-sions. Deaths.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Cachar
. . 1st. Jan. 1876 17th Feb. 1876. 604.02
52
1
15.33 65.65 1.26 2.54
Detachment at Monierkhal
Ditto
„
16th „
,,
50.83
26
...
4 . 5 8 .398
...
9.01
Ditto at Noarband .
Ditto
,,
Ditto
„
.41
4
...
.85 75.90
...
2.07
Head-quarters on the march 18th Feb.
„
19th Mar. „
678.81
57
10
12.45 99.12 17.41 1.83
Ditto at Dinapore . 20th Mar „
31st Dec. „
597.76
401
8
15.88 85.55 1.71 2.66
Detachment at Berhempore. 13th Oct. „
Ditto
„
135.67
40
...
4.9 98.04
...
3.61
TOTAL
.
.
...
...
639.4
580
19
17.07 90.71 2.97 2.67
Number of deaths in hospital 19 ; out of hospital 6 ; total
25; per cent. of total strength.
. 3.56
„
invalided
.
.
. .
11 ;
,,
„
.
. 1.57
„
sent on sick leave
.
.
.
3 ;
„ „
.
.
. 3
„ of days spent in hospital 6,248 ; per admission . 17.72 ; per man of total strength
.
. 8.91
„
„
on sick leave 100 ; per man
. 33.33 ;
„
„
.
. .14
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
.
. 9.05
XVI.—Principal causes of sickness. —Malarious fevers account for 196 out of the total of
58 admissions, or a little less than 34 per cent.—a marked contrast to 1875, when there were
no less then 4! . 2 admissions under this head, equal to 50 per cent. of the total admissions.
This great difference is due to the change of station and climate. For the short period of the
year the regiment was at Cachar, the outpost of Monierkhal bid fair to exceed former years
in unhealthiness. Dysentery and diarrhœa give 47 and 20 admissions, respectively, as compared
with 53 and 39 in 1875. This is rather a matter of congratulation considering the circum
-stances of the regiment in the early part of the year. Rheumatic affections give 35 admissions
as compared with 54 last year. Diseases of the respiratory system (including pulmonary
phthisis) give 28 admissions–an increase of 3 in last year. There were 43 admissions for
blister of feet–a decrease of 10 since last year. There were 26 admissions for cholera as com-
pared with 3 in 1875. Venereal affections give 15 admissions, or two less than last year.
XVII.—Principal causes of Mortality. —Cholera was the chief cause of the mortality of the
year. Out of 25 deaths in and out of hospital it caused 17, equal to a ratio of 68 per cent.
Of these 17 deaths, 13 occurred in February and March, i. e., while the regiment was on its way
from Cachar to Dinapore, the other four occurred at Dinapore, three of them within ten days
of each other in the early part of June, the fourth in August ; of the remaining deaths, five
were due to pulmonary phthisis, two to pneumonia, and one to general debility, or in other
words, malarial cachexia. I believe that the damp, malarious climate of Cachar, and especially
of that most malarious of outposts, Monierkhal, exercises a strong influence both as a predis-
posing and exciting cause of destructive lung disease.
XVIII.—Epedemics.—There was a severe outbreak of cholera immediately after the
regiment left Cachar. The first case of cholera occurred on the 18th February in the person of a
dhobie's wife. Between this and 24th, the day on which the regiment left the boats for the
steamer at Chuttuck, twelve cases occurred, viz., five amongst the men and seven amongst the
camp-followers. On board the steamer and flats,i .
e . ,
b e t w e e n 2 5 t h F e b r u a r y a n d t h e a f t e r n o o n
of 1st March, sixteen cases occurred, ten amongst the men and six amongst the camp-follow
- e r s . T h e r e g i m e n t l e f t t h e s t e a m e r a t G o a l u n d o o n 1 s t M a r c h , a n d w e n t b y r a i l t o t h e
cholera camp at Kanchrapara. At this latter place, six more cases occurred, three amongst
the men and three amongst the camp-followers. The last case occurred on 6th March.
During the months of January and February cholera was very prevalent at Chuttuck,
on the river Soorma. The 35th Native Infantry en route to Cachar was perfectly healthy
when it reached Chuttuck. On fifth day after they passed this station, cholera appeared
amongst them, and continued active till the arrival of the regiment at Cachar, viz., till 14th
February. From 14th to 17th, the 3rd and the 35th Native Infantry lay within a short distance,
about 250 or 300 yards, of each other ; the former in tents, the latter in the lines. During this
time there was no doubt some intercourse between the regiments. On the evening of the 17th,
the 3rd moved into the boats which brought up the 35th, and started next morning. Cholera
appeared that clay, the 18th, the fifth day after we had met the 35th.
I am of opinion that we were directly infected by the 35th—how, or by what medium,
it is not so easy to say. But I am strongly of opinion that had we not met the 35th and
been compelled to make use of their boats, we should have had no cholera, at least not till
we had passed Chuttuck. The Sanitary Commissioner with the Government of India does
not agree with this opinion. In his No. 305 of 2nd May 1876, to the Secretary to the
Government of India, Military Department, after noticing the opinions expressed in my
special report on this outbreak, submitted in March last, he says,—"It is much more reason-
able to conclude that the 3rd Native Infantry, in occupying the boats, came under the same
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Epidemics.