171
PUNJAB FRONTIER FORCE.
STATION.
PERIOD
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average number of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis- sions.
Deaths i n
hospital.
Admis sions.
D e a t h s .
Daily
average
of sick.
Head-quarters, Nowshera 1st January 31st December 456
559
2 15.34 122.57 .43 3.36
Do. Abazai
1st „
2nd April
88
13
.82 58.12
.93
Do. do
2nd July
8th Sept.
88
30
1.46 180.60
1.66
Do. Mackeson 1st January 25th Oct.
66
78
1.33 144.52
2.01
Do. Cherat
4th September 22nd Dec.
162
26
1.84 53.40
1.13
Total
600.25 706
2 17.21 117.67 .33 2.87
Number of deaths in hospital 2; out of hospital 5; total 7; per cent, of total strength .98
„ invalided 15; „ „
2 . 1 1
„ sent on sick leave 7;
„ „
.98
„ of days spent in hospital 6,267; per admission 8.87; per man of total strength
8.82
„ „ on sick leave 672; per man .96; „
„
.94
Total temporary loss to the service per man of total strength
9 . 7 6
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—The principal causes of sickness has been ague, 375
cases having been admitted, and all of these of a very mild type. I have been in charge of
all the native troops and civil population during the year, and have not seen one severe and
dangerous attack of fever among the residents, and I suppose that what is known as the
Peshawar variety is almost unknown. With a soil so sandy and free from vegetation and
swamps, there is no place where malaria can lodge and be fostered. Boils and ulcers are the
next most frequent diseases, 57 admissions from both causes; of dysentery 24 cases, and
bronchitis 19. There has only been 4 admissions from venereal disease, and the same number
from itch, which is usually a common complaint.
XVII. Mortality.—Of the two fatal cases in hospital, the immediate cause of death was
pneumonia, but both had been a long time under treatment for organic internal disease; were
much debilitated, and when attacked, at once succumbed. Three of the men who died at their
homes were on sick leave for enlargement of the spleen, general debility, occasional attacks of
fever, and one for chronic bronchitis. The other man died from wounds received in an affray
on the border.
XVIII. Epidemic.—With the exception of a solitary case of cholera in the 11th Bengal
Lancers, which was previously reported on, the garrison here escaped, but the mortality among
the villagers in the district was considerable. The means adopted to avoid infection at Nowshera
was quarantine.
Principal
causes of sick
-
ness.
Mortality.
Epidemic.
PUNJAB FRONTIER FORCE.
(INCLUDING THE STATIONS OF ABBOTTABAD, MARDAN, KOHAT, EDWARDESABAD, DERA ISSMAIL KHAN
,
DERA GHAZI KHAN, AND RAJANPUR.)
Average strength present during the year Artillery 512.6 Cavalry 1,895.3 Infantry 7, 721. 7
Average daily sick per cent. of average strength „ 5.26 „ 5.24
„
3.82
Ratio of mortality per cent. of average strength „ 1.34 „ 1.53 „
1.47
No. 3, Peshawar Mountain Battery—Abbottabad.
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1871
Abbottabad, April 1871 206.3
.6
4.4
1872
Ditto ditto
175.3
3.7
2.9
1873
Kohat, Feb. 1873 285.7
.6
5.1
1874
Ditto ditto 239.3
.6
4.1
1875
Abbottabad, Feb. 1875 198.27
6.
Average
220.97 1.1
4.5
1876
Abbottabad
203.34
6.38
I. Medical Officers. —Surgeon-Major J. R. Johnson, 5th Goorkhas, held
medical charge of the Battery
from January 1st till March
10th. From this date until
the close of the year, it was
under the care of Surgeon
W. E. Battersby, M.B., by
whom the following report
has been submitted:
—
II. Location and movements.
— T h e B a t t e r y w a s s t a t i o n a r y
at Abbottabad throughout the
year, with the exception of the
periods from May 31st to June
26th, and from November 30th till
December 14th, when it went into the district for general exercise.
Medical
Officers.
Location and
movements.