Weather in
camp.
Hospital.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment—
Present . . .
412.4
Absent . . .
42.2
TOTAL . . .
4 5 6 . 6
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Epidemics.
100
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Health of the
regiment.
Conservaney.
The health of the regiment has been excellent throughout. Dr. Corbett reports the pre
-
valence of mild diarrhoea and dysentery, at first owing to the impurity of the water and to
night exposure ; which he counteracted as much as possible by recommending the drinking
water to be drawn exclusively from the semi-pucca well, which alone contained water of fair
quality, and by warning the men against using for culinary purposes either the water from the
canal or that from the shallow wells.
The weather is reported as having been favourable throughout. There were some cloudy
days, but no rain fell. In anticipation of rain the ground wag drained by a party of sappers.
XIV. Hospital.— During the year a new flag floor has been laid down ; shallow masonry
drains have been made for the escape of waste water from the bath-rooms ; trees have been
planted round the building, and one side of the hospital has been furnished with partially
-
glazed doors. All that remains now is the repair of verandah rooms, the floor of which is
"kutcha" and broken down, and to complete the glazing of the doors ; but these repairs have
been discontinued for the present on account of the want of funds. If a small room were added
for the isolation of serious cases of illness and for the treatment of eye diseases, this would be
a s c o m p l e t e a n d p e r f e c t a h o s p i t a l a s c o u l d b e d e s i r e d f o r a n a t i v e c a v a l r y r e g i m e n t . D r y - e a r t h
conservancy has been observed during the year, and has been closely attended to.
STATION.
PERIOD
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
average
number
of sick.
PER CENT OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
A d m i s - s i o n s Deaths.
A d m i s - s i o n s . Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Meerut and
Camp of Exercise at Delhi.
1st Jan. 1875
31st Dec. 1875
318.8
210
2
5.12 65.87
. 6 2 1.60
Detachment at Agra . . .
" "
25th Sept. 1875
43.6
16
. . .
.88 40.71 . . .
2.02
" at Delhi . . .
" "
" "
47.4
48
1
1.11 112.27 2.34 2.34
De pôt at Meerut
3rd Mar. 1875 3rd April 1875 7 0 . 8
10
. . .
4.20 66.07 . . .
5.93
15th Nov. 1875 31st Dec. 1875
TOTAL . . .
. . .
. . . 412.4 284
3
6.42 68.86
.73 1.55
Number of deaths in hospital 3 ; out of hospital 2 ; total 5. ; per cent of total strength . . . 1.10
" invalided . . . 14. ; " " . . . 3.07
" sent on sick leave . . . 5. ; " " . . . 1.10
" of days spent in hospital 2,342 ; per admission 8.2 ; per man of total strength . . . 5.13
" " on sick leave 487 ; per man 97.4 ; " " . . . 1.07
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . . 6.20
Principal
causes of sick
ness.
Malarious
fever.
Cholera.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.— The principal causes of sickness during the year have
been malarious fevers, 127; injuries, 46; dysentery, 29; ulcer and boil, 21; conjunctivitis, 11 ;
rheumatism, 8; affections of respiratory organs, 8 ; and venereal diseases, 3.
Compared with the preceding year, the returns of 1875 would indicate that the health of
both the 4th Bengal Cavalry and 5th Native Infantry has decidedly, improved ; there being
340 fewer admissions from all causes in the former, and 826 fewer in the latter, regiment.
On examining the figures, however, it is seen that this great difference between the sickness
of the two years is altogether due to the decrease in admissions from malarious fevers in 1875,
the admission from all other causes being much the same for both years. Dr. Moir informs
me that malarious fever had been increasing steadily in the station and district of Meerut
from 1869 up to the end of 1874; but that throughout 1875, there has been a very marked
decrease, the admissions from fever in the sudder and city dispensaries in this year being 47
per cent . l es s t han i n 1874.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— Cholera has caused all the deaths which occurrèd
in hospital during the year, three men having died from this disease. Two men died while on
leave at their homes : the cause of death has not been reported.
X V I I I . E p i d e m i c s . —
T h e d i s t r i c t a n d s t a t i o n o f M e e r u t e x p e r i e n c e d a s h a r p o u t b r e a k o f
cholera during the year. Although cholera did not enter cantonments till August, the epidemic
may be said to have commenced in June; the first death in the district having been registered
on the 15th of that month. From this time the disease rapidly increased in extent and viru
-
lence; 15 deaths having occurred in the district in June, 144 in July, 368 in August, and 483
in September, after which month there was a sudden abatement, only 13 deaths having been
registered in the district in October, and none after that. The first death in the city took place
on the 12th August and the last on the 5th October.
Cholera attacked the troops in August; the first case occurred on the 26th in the Royal
Artillery, and the last case on the 7th October in the 15th Hussars. The first case of cholera
in the 4th Bengal Cavalry occurred on the 5th September, and the last case on the 21st Sep
-
tember. The first case in the 4th Bengal Cavalry was a sowar who was attacked on the morning