Mortality.
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Inspection.
188 MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average number
of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
A d m i s -
s i o n s . Deaths.
Admis- s i o n s . Deaths. Daily
average sick.
Head-quarters at Kohat
1st Jan. 1876 31st Dec. 1876 655.14 885
9 15.92 135.08 1.37 2.43
Detachment at Bahadur
Khel.
3rd „ „ 9th Mar. „
59.
19
1.11 87.06
1.88
Ditto ditto
3rd July „ 8th Sept. „
TOTAL
677.40 904
9 16.32 133.45 1.32 2.40
Number of deaths in hospital 9; out of hospital 1; total 10; per cent. of total strength
1.36
„ invalided 18; „ „
2. 46
„ sent on sick leave 16; „
„
2.19
„ of days spent in hospital 5,974; per admission 6.60; per man of total strength
8.18
„
„
„
on sick leave 1,136; per man 71.00; „
„
1. 55
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
9. 73
Sickness, &c.
Principal
causes of
sickness.
XV. Sickness, &c.—For three years:—
Year.
Admissions.
Deaths.
Invaliding.
1874
1 , 2 1 3
10
50
1875
1,268
22
20
1876
904
9
18
XVI. Principal causes of sickness. —Malarious fevers, as usual, form the largest number of
admissions, 525, or more than half the total, being caused by them. These malarious fevers, which
in former years made their appearance in Kohat at certain periods of the year, and with fatal
consequences, have very much decreased of late years. The chief agency in working
this salutary change may be attributed to the vast improvement in the water-supply. Sanitary
arrangements are also better than they used to be, and more attention is paid to clothing
and the comforts generally of the native soldier than formerly. The station of Kohat
is undergoing improvements. The waste stony grounds are being converted into grass
plots. If each garrison would only carry on the improvements, not only would the aspect
of the station be improved, but the decrease in temperature in the hot weather months must
beneficially influence the general health. The heat in Kohat during the hot weather months
is intense, owing to the radiation of heat from the stony nature of the soil.
The daily average sick per cent. of strength has been only 2.43, or about half that of
the other infantry regiments of the station; the reverse being the case the previous year.
In the cold weather the regiment does not parade till 8-30 A.M. The men, therefore, need not
leave their beds till after sunrise. Early parades are most injurious during the cold weather,
which in Kohat is very severe indeed, especially in the early morning. The men must leave
their beds at least an hour before parade hour. They have to expose themselves for the pur
-poses of nature to the bitterly cold wind, and afterwards perhaps to stand some time waiting
for parade. The weak man gets a chill, followed by fever or some chest affection. Except
the Adjutant's, there are no evening parades, and those not at musketry or on duty have the day
pretty well to themselves, parade being over. Particular attention is paid to the clothing
of the men. The poshteens have been improved on, now closing well up to the throat. The
old ones left a good deal of the chest exposed. The bedding, too, is looked after, and I have
hardly ever had reason to complain of scarcity of covering of the sick. The immunity from
fevers has also been influenced by the mildness of the cold weather, and for the same reason
inflammatory affections of the air passages and lungs have been few. There were only 7 admis
-sions with pneumonia against 40 the previous year. During the months of autumn the men
are compelled to sleep in the open air. A heavy dew falls at this season, and for protection
against it, tents were pitched for the men to sleep in. This also must have assisted in check
-ing malarial influence, a very formidable enemy at this season of the year. The principal
causes of admissions were, fevers 525; dysentery 40; diarrhœa 38; ulcers and boils 36;
syphilis and gonorrhœa 24; bronchitis 23; pneumonia 7.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.—Pneumonia 3; remittent fever 3; dysentery 1;
debility 1; ague (a) 1.
XVIII. Epidemics. —One Kahar had had cholera from which he recovered, otherwise the
station was free from diseases of an epidemic nature. There were a few cases of small-pox
among the camp followers.
XIX. Vaccination.—Four recruits and about 15 children of the regiment were successfully
vaccinated.
Inspection.—Inspected by the Deputy Surgeon-General of the Rawal Pindi
Circle on the 9th of November 1876. The following grave sanitary defects
were noticed on the day of inspection: viz., ventilation and lighting of the
several blocks of buildings were only obtained by the doorways and were