Marches.
Hospital.
Lines.
Drainage.
Conservancy
and latrines.
Water-supply
Diet.
Clothing.
Duty and
employment,
Exercise,
amusements,
&c.
202
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
vibrations, as they were more severely felt and occasioned more damage here than either at
Peshawar or Nowshera. Three people were killed by falling houses.
V. Lines.—The lines are the same as occupied in previous years. Those of the
infantry are situated within the fort; they are generally overcrowded in the cold weather. The
cavalry occupy ground to the south and south-east of the fort. The married men have a serai
behind the 4th troop.
VI. Drainage.—There is good natural and artificial drainage which empties into the
adjacent nulla. A new brick sewer was completed from the married quarters. A staff of
sweepers is maintained to keep the drains and sewers clean. Those in the fort are flushed twice
daily with water from a well furnished with a Persian wheel and worked by bullo
c k s .
VII. Conservancy and latrines. —The conservancy of the station and lines is under the
direct supervision of the Quarter Master. There are only two latrines, one for the hospital
and another recently erected for the men on guard; this latter is in an open space of ground
to the east of the bazaar. In both the dry-earth system is carried out. With the exception
of those in hospital and on duty, the men all resort to the cultivated land about cantonments.
No inconvenience arises from this arrangement, as the ground is a considerable distance from
any habitation.
VIII. Water-suply. —An abundant supply of good drinking water is procured from
wells. Those used for this purpose are annually cleaned out, but some of them might be
better protected from the return of solid matter into them. The mules and some troop horses
are watered in the stream of the Chalpani, which lower down is used for washing and bathing
purposes.
IX. Diet.—There is a good bazaar, which is well supplied with vegetables and the ordinary
produce of the country. Prices are moderate, and the men with few exceptions feed well.
X. Clothing. —There hot-weather clothing of the cavalry consists or loose drill coats,
breeches and long boots. In the cold season they wear serge-coats, posteens and great-coats.
The infantry in the warm weather likewise wear drill clothing, and during the winter,
cloth tunics, posteens, and great-coats. The latter, both for cavalry and infantry, are made
of thick barak, are long, double-breasted, and admirably suited for cold-weather use. Ammuni-
tion boots are worn on parades; native shoes or chuplis on other duties. The choice in this
respect is left to the men themselves. Great attention is paid to the bedding of the men to see
that they are properly provided with a sufficiency of a warm description; to this I attribute in
a great measure the almost total absence of pneumonia amongst the men.
X I . D u t y a n d e m p l o y m e n t .—
T h e
d u t y h a s b e e n s e v e r e , o w i n g t o t h e n u m b e r o f m e n
absent on command. At head-quarters it consisted of the ordinary parades and guards. The
number of nights in bed in seven for the year was 4.82. I do not consider that it told in-
juriously on the health of the regiment, as the nature of the duty was not severe and the men
were well protected against cold.
XII. Exercise, amusements, &c.—The men engage extensively in athletic sports. Recruits,
both of the cavalry and infantry, go through a systematic course of gymnastics, including
horizontal and parallel bars, running, jumping, &c. Games are annually held and prizes given
to champions. The men were very successful at athletic sports held in Peshawar during the
spring and carried off more than half of the prizes from their competitors.
Sickness, mor-
tality, and
invaliding.
XIV. Marches.—No marches were made except those of the detachments.
X I V . H o s p i t a l .
— T h e
h o s p i t a l h a s b e e n p r e v i o u s l y d e s c r i b e d ; i t w a s w h i t e w a s h e d t w i c e
during the year. The want of proper accommodation for servants was much felt. There is no
contagious ward. Overcrowding, however, did not occur, as numbers of men are always treated
as out-patients. The building was warmed by two fires at night during the winter months.
The men use their own bedding while in hospital.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment—
Present
810.20
Absent
2 9 2 . 3 1
Total
1102.51
STATION.
PERIOD.
S t r e n g t h .
TOTAL NUMBER
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 . PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
A d m i s s i o n s .
D e a t h s .
A d m i s s i o n s .
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 Mardan 1st January
31st December
768.11 1,191 5 39.88 155.05 .65 5.19
Detachment at Abbottabad Ditto
5th March
3 8 . 8 5 2
. . .
. 8 5 29.36 ... 2.18
" Abbottabad 20th August
31st December
17.32
1
. . . .35 14.83 ... 2.02
" Lahore
8th January
21st May
62.04
9
. . . .67 39.50 .., 1.07
" Lahore
26th November
31st December
72.38 9 ... 2.11 126.02 ... 2.91
TOTAL
. . .
. . .
810.20 1,212 5 43.86 149.71 . 61 5.41
Number of deaths in hospital 5; out of hospital 2; total 7; per cent. of total strength
.63
" invalided 48; " "
4.35
„" sent ou sick leave 29;" ".. 2.63
" of days spent in hospital 14,570; per admission 12.02; per man of total strength
13.21
" on sick leave 2,271; per man. 78.30; " "
2.05
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
1 5 . 2 6