Principal
causes of
mortality.
Epidemics.
46
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Marches and
service.
Hospital.
was light, and for the remaining portion the regiment was on the march to and
on duty at the Imperial Assemblage at Delhi. The average number of nights in
bed for the year was 5.36.
XIII. Marches and service.—The regiment marched out of Banda for the Imperial Assem
-blage, Delhi, on the morning of the 14th of November 1876,—the strength being about 539
after leaving some weak and sick, also line-guards, behind. The route was vid Hamirpur,
Cawnpore, and the grand trunk road to Delhi, the march occupying about one month. The
regiment arrived at Delhi on the 16th December 1876, and was encamped near the village of.
Dahirpur, about four miles north of Delhi city. The distance from Banda to Delhi is about
400 miles. The regiment halted four times on the march up. The encamping-ground at
Dahirpur was black cotton soil, with a gradual slope towards the rear of the camp; the surface
was rough, having been previously ploughed for crops. The water-supply was deficient,
but this was remedied by the men getting their drinking and cooking water from the adjacent
camping-grounds. The wells (Norton's) Were sunk, in the ground, but owing to the sandy
sub-soil, they were unsuccessful in affording a supply of water. Fortunately, the men did not
suffer in their health from the difficulty in getting a sufficiency of water at times.
The Madras sepoy being accustomed to a somewhat more equable temperature, the duties at
Delhi were rather heavy for the men, but during the march up and down they were compara
-tively light. The state of the weather during the three months the men were in camp was very
warm during the day-time, and bitterly cold at night and early morning, which I consider
was the cause of the chest complaints the men suffered from.
XIV. Hospital.—The same as in last report. The state of repair is good; ventilation
sufficient; no overcrowding; lighting sufficient. The bedding and clothing are deficient during
the cold weather months from November to February.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.— Strength of the regiment—
Present
.
.
. 366.2
Absent
.
.
.
3
Total . . . 369.2
STATION.
P E R I O D .
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
A d m i s - s i o n s . Deaths.
Dai l y aver age si ck.
Head-quarters and Left
Wing at Banda.
1st Jan. 1876 31st Dec. 1876 366.27
799
12
23.66 218.14 3.27 6.45
Number of deaths in hospital 12; out of hospital 2; total 14; per cent. of total strength . . .
3.79
" invalided 20; " " . . .
5.42
" sent on sick leave . . . 3; " " . . .
.81
"
of days spent in hospital 6,263; per admission..
7.83; per man of total strength . . .
.16.9
" " on sick leave 657; per man . . . 2.19; " "
1.8
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . .
18.7
Principal
causes of
sickness.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness .—Malarious fevers, 492; blisters of feet, 43; rheuma
-tism, 44; conjunctivitis, 39; acute bronchitis, 30; boils, 23; diarrhœa, simple, 21. Malarious
fevers have caused more than half of the total admissions for the year, being 492 for 1876 against
302 for 1875, thus showing, as in previous years, how very prevalent they are in Bundelkund.
Conjunctivitis has decreased, being 39 for 1876 against 65 for 1875; rheumatism
has increased, 44 against 31 for 1875. The men have suffered much more from sickness than
during 1875, which increase is attributable chiefly to the march to the Imperial Assemblage at
Delhi.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— The chief causes of mortality during the year have
been from ague, which caused four deaths; acute pneumonia caused three deaths; acute
bronchitis, two .deaths; lardaceous liver, one death; diarrhœa, one death; malignant cholera,
one death, and dysentrv, one death.
XVIII. Epidemics .—Malignant cholera broke out, on the afternoon of the 16th October,
in a hut in F company in the lines. There were seven people living in the hut: two were
brothers, and privates in the regiment: they were both on the sick list with ague fever at the
time, and had gone to their huts for an hour or so. I understand that a sepoy was attacked in
his hut with diarrhœa at about 3 P.M. on the 16th October: he was brought to the hospital about
6 P.M., suffering from that complaint. Treatment was adopted, and he commenced shortly after
to have rice-water stools and copious vomiting, which symptoms were quickly followed by col
- l a p s e , c r a m p s o f t h e e x t r e m i t i e s , a n d s u p p r e s s i o n o f u r i n e . H e d i e d a t 4 A . M . o n t h e 1 7 t h
October 1876. At 8 o'clock P.M. his brother was seized with the disease while attending on him.
Diffusible stimulants were at once given, and the trunk and extremities embrocated with
Stimulants. He progressed favorably, with slight. collapse, and recovered in the afternoon of the
17th October, but remained in a weak state until be was finally discharged on the 5th November
1876: his urine was not at all suppressed. The mother of the latter patient, aged 60, was