Principal
causes of
sickness.
Mortality.
Epidemics.
Recommenda-
tions.
Observations.
2 2 1
E A S T E R N F R O N T I E R D I S T R I C T .
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.- The principal causes of sickness in their order of pre-
valence were intermittent fevers, general debility, dysentery, hypertrophy of spleen, scurvy,
itch, blisters of feet and diarrhoea.
XV11. Principal causes of mortality.—Twenty deaths occurred in hospital, viz., 5 general
debility ; 4 spleen affections ; 3 diarrhoea ; 3 ague; 2 scurvy; 2 pneumonia, and 1 remit-
- t e n t f e v e r .
XVIII. Epidemics.— In the Jalpaiguri district cholera was unusually prevalent and of an
extremely fatal character during five months of the year. No eases occurred incantonment,
and there were no quarantine regulations established beyond prohibiting the entrance of the
sepoys and camp-followers into infected localities.
XIX. Vaccination.—All the men have been found to bear marks of small-pox, inoculation
or vaccination. The children of camp-followers have been vaccinated, and successfully, except
in two instances, and in them there were slight marks of previous vaccination. No cases
of small-pox occurred in cantonment.
XX. Recommendations.—Attention has been directed to dieting and cleanliness for the
eradication of itch. All recommendations have been attended to.
XXI. Observations. The principal diseases for which invaliding among short service men
took place were general debility, spleen affections and scurvy. Before the regiment left Cal-
cutta it was found necessary to send no less than 65 men, mostly recruits, on sick leave ; they
ought properly to have been discharged from the service, but as this could not be done, it was
considered desirable to send them on sick leave. Very few of them have returned.
Inspection.—Mr. Adley, Officiating Deputy Surgeon-General of the Dacca
Circle, inspected the hospital and lines of this left half-battalion on the 27th
November 1876. The cantonment is well elevated, and is considerably above
the flood level of the river; the natural drainage is said to be defective. A
three-storied pucca building, originally a sugar mill, is occupied by the sepoys,
and affords them ample and convenient accommodation, at the same time
being well ventilated. The sepoys cook on the ground-floor of this building.
Water for the use of the men is brought from mid-stream of the river
Bongunga, and is considered to be of very indifferent quality. There are
three pucca wells in the lines, but the men prefer the river water. A latrine
on the dry-earth system is used by the men.
Ample accommodation is afforded for the sick in a large, two-storied
pucca building on the river bank. It was clean and well ventilated, and was
complete in its equipment of medicines and instruments. The hospital arrange-
-ments were quite satisfactory.
Mr. Adley inspected the men on parade, and considered them to be of
good physique and robust, and to have improved in health since their arrival
at Dacca.
Vaccination.
Iuspection.
18th.- The Aliporc Regiment, Flatibe Infantrp.- Baxa.
I. Medical Officers.—The following Officers
YEAR.
S T AT I ON.
P E R C E N T . O F S T R E N G T H .
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1871
Gorakhpur, Dec. 1868 176.5
2.4
6.2
1872
Agra, December 1872 205.5
1.3
7.2
1873
Ditto
161.8
2
7.1
1874
Ditto
145.2
1.2
4.7
1875
Baxa, November 1875 124.79
1.98
4.59
A v e r a g e
162.75
1.77
5.95
1876
Baxa
168.76
2.44
5.63
held, medical charge of the
regiment : Surgeon H. A. C.
Gray, M .B , from the begin-
ning of the year till the 25th
of February Surgeon. L. R.
Dawson, M.D., from the 25th
February till the 31st De-
cember 1876. The latter
medical officer has furnished
the annual sanitary report.
II.
L o c a t i o n
, m o v e m e n t s , & c . -
T h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r t h e
regiment
was stationed at Baxa. Every
mont h & sepoys, 1 nai k and 1
havildar went to Cooch Behar, to
Medical officeers.
Location,
movements,
&c.
escort back to Baxa the pay of the regiment ; with this exception, there were no movements
during the year.
III., Topography, &c.- This has been so often and well described by previous medical
officers, that it would be very difficult to say anything new on the subject. Baxa is supposed
to command the chief road leading into the interior of Bhutan.
IV. Meteorology, climate, &c.—There are unfortunately no meteorological instruments
here, except the pluviometer and the hospital thermometer. The total rainfall was 188.06
inches. The largest fall of any month occurred in Juue, namely, 49 .47 inches. During the
rainy weather, which began in April and ended in October, the air was, as a rule, saturated
F2
Meterology,
climate, &c.