Principal
causes of
mortality.
Epidemics.
226
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER OF Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGT
H PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis- sions. Deaths.
Admis
-sions.
D e a t h s . Daily aver-
age sick.
Dera Ghazi Khan
6th January
31st Dec.
301
536
8 19.96 178.07 2.65 6. 63
Hurrund
1st "
Ditto
21.59 12
1.13 55.58
5. 23
TOTAL
338.99 548
8 21.09 161.65 2.36 6. 22
Number of deaths in hospital 8; out of hospital 2; total 10; per cent. of total strength
1.98
" i n v a l i d e d 3 ; " "
.59
" sent on sick leave 21; " " 4.16
" of days spent in hospital 7,697.85, per admission 13.68; per man of total strength 15.27
" " on sick leave 2,420, per man 115.23; " " 4. 80
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
20. 07
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Vaccination.
Inspection.
Principal causes of sickness. —There was a considerable decrease in the
number of fever cases; the medical officer considers that this was owing to
the year being an exceptionally wet one. Pneumonia showed a slight in-
crease, but as 45 per cent. of those attacked by it died, it may be fairly
considered as of a more severe type than that met with in 1874. Mr. Macgregor
states that he has not yet determined its causation, though he thinks that "it
is generally conceded to be contagious."
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— Pneumonia 7 deaths, remittent fever 1. The
deaths from pneumonia all happened in the first three months; from then till December no death
took place. In addition, two men died at their homes from accidents—one was killed by a tiger,
the other fell from his horse and died in consequence.
XVIII. Epidemics. —The regiment suffered in common with others of the Punjab Frontier
Force, during January and February, from pneumonia, which might fairly be called epidemic.
With regard to its etiology I am most undecided. Regiments seemed to be suffering from an
inflammatory epidemic influence. It is noticeable that north-east winds were prevalent and
the weather very severe; with regard to cold and its influence I am in doubt, because it is
difficult to tell whether the cold, which is supposed to have produced the disease, is any more
severe than what has been before borne without effect. At first I was inclined to think that
Hindoos were more liable, owing to their practice of stripping to cook and eat, but I found
that both races were equally attacked and liable to die. A great drawback to the better
pathology of the disease was the difficulty of obtaining post-mortems, the men objecting so
much, that I was afraid, if enforced, they would come to have such a horror of hospitals as to
prefer to wait in the lines till too late. I was more fortunate in having medical charge of the
jail, in which a few cases occurred so almost identical in symptoms with the regimental ones,
that the post-mortems I made might be taken as some sort of guide. A peculiarity of some
fatal cases was the sudden relapse, collapse, and rapid death. I have had cases which, having
passed through the disease and become convalescent, with normal temperature, good appetite,
and only weak, were suddenly seized with severe pain and dyspnœa, rapid rise in temperature
up to 100, followed by death in a few hours, without any apparent exciting cause. I was
enabled to make one post-mortem in the case of a prisoner who died in this way. Here I found
grey hepatization of left lung and right lung solid, except at apex. In the heart the right
auricle was quite filled with a large clot decolorized, and in the aorta was a large decolorized clot.
I l o s t 4 5 p e r c e n t . o f t h o s e a t t a c k e d , a n d t h e me n d r e a d e d t h e d i s e a s e a s mu c h a s c h o l e r a .
XIV. Vaccination. —All the children in lines have been successfully vaccinated, and
vaccination has been offered to men who wish it. Most of the men bear the marks of small-pox.
The regiment is fairly protected.
On the 14th December, the date of his inspection, Mr. Banister reports,
that he found the lines in very good order, and as in the 3rd Regiment, Punjab
Cavalry, every sowar had a separate compartnent opening into a common
verandah. The hospital was rather too much crowded, with 24 patients and 8
attendants, but in other respects the management was creditable and satisfactory.
A well-raised detached building, with two good-sized wards, surrounded by a
verandah, had lately been added to the accommodation, and was intended for
the reception of infectious and other special diseases.
Mr. Banister reports that the 33 recruits were of only moderate physique.