xvii
STATEMENT No. XIII.
YEAR.
BRONCHITIS AND
BRONCHIAL
CATARRH.
PNEUMONIA.
PLEURISY.
OTHER DISEASES.
TOTAL.
Admitted. Died. Admitted. Died. Admitted. Died. Admitted. Died. Admitted. Died.
1871 . . . 1,668
66
624
149
233
13
366
7
2,891
235
1872 . . . 1,909
61
498
103
187
3
353
16
2,947
183
1873 . . . 1,792
52
536
87
238
13
307
9
2,873
161
1874 . . . 1,749
25
544
111
209
8
248
7
2,750
151
1875 . . . 1,769
18
701
177
189
11
263
5
2,922
211
Chest diseases, as remarked last year, were most prevalent and fatal in
regiments serving in Upper India, and more especially in those stationed on
the Punjab frontier. Medical officers do not seem to be quite agreed as to
the etiology of the pneumonia which generally proves so fatal along the
Punjab frontier, but it will be gathered from paragraphs 36 and 37 that cold,
acting on men insufficiently clothed when off duty, is most probably the
exciting cause of pneumonia and other chest affections which, with the
exception of pleuritis, were in excess of the numbers recorded in 1874.
52. In statement No. XIV is shown the rate per cent. of strength of cases
of primary and secondary
syphilis, and of gonorrhœa
in the native army during
1875. Venereal diseases
generally constitute but a
small proportion of the cases
admitted into hospital; and
when prevalent in any regi
-ment, it will generally be
found that the cantonment
is either not far distant from
somelarge city or town, or by
some other means affords the sepoys unusual facilities for promiscuous intercourse
with females who cannot be reached by the provisions of the Contagious Diseases
Act. I have given extracts from the inspection reports of Deputy Surgeons
-General on the working of lock hospitals in their several circles of medical
administration, and they tend to prove that the results, so far as the registered
prostitutes are concerned, have been highly satisfactory. Much, however, still
remains to be done to ensure the proper working of the Act in. all military
cantonments, as it appears to be the fact that there are a large number of
women practising prostitution who (for reasons which hardly come within the
scope of this report) cannot be brought under the wholesome surveillance
which it provides by registration and by periodical inspections. This flaw
appears to interfere most seriously with the benefits which would otherwise be
derived from lock hospitals in Bengal.
STATEMENT No. XIV.
YEARS.
CASES PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
TOTAL.
Primary
syphilis.
Secondary
syphilis.
Gonorrhœa,
&c.
1871 . . .
1.43
.54
.98
2.95
1872 . . .
1.24
.51
.96
2.71
1873 . . .
1.25
.68
1.05
2.98
1874 . . .
1.77
.66
.48
2.91
1875 . . .
1.48
.71
1.07
3.26
Syphilis.
53. I have been very glad to notice that some medical officers have
recorded many interesting medical and surgical cases in their sanitary reports;
and I regret that I am unable to reproduce them all at length in this volume.
However, the pages of the Indian Medical Gazette are open for the record of
all such cases of interest, and such a periodical is, perhaps, the more fitting
place for bringing them conspicuously to notice.
54. Few surgical cases of importance can be expected to be met with in
time of peace and amongst a body of healthy men, but still I have noticed
Interesting
cases.
Important
surgical
operations.
5