xv. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.— Strength of the regiment :—
Present
.
.
,
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
642.11
Absent
.
. . . . . . . . . .
56.96
Total
.
.
699.07
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
28
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Duty and
employment.
Exercise and
amusements.
Hospital.
•
XI. Duty and employment.— Ordinary duties only. The guards, parades and exercises are, I
suppose, much the same as in other regiments, and they do not exercise any unfavorable in-
fluence on the men's health. The night duty has been very favorable throughout . the year.
The only duty which affected the health of the regiment was that of furnishing a detach-
ment to Berhampore. That detachment was there during the greater part of 1874 (from
March 1875 and 1876 till October), without any relief. When the men rejoined on the 16th
October 1876, most of them were in a very dilapidated condition. They suffered severely
from aguish diseases, and a great many of them contracted habits of smoking and drinking
drugs, such as churrus and gunja, or of taking opium to excess. Some of them were discharged
from the service by a special medical committee in December 1876, and several more will be
brought before the invaliding committee of the 1st April 1877.
Detachments often deteriorate when away from regimental head-quarters for a year ;
this case the same body of men, 153 strong, were away for nearly 3 years, and there is no
doubt that they were much the worse for their long absence when they rejoined head-quarters.
Of course the climate of Berhampore has much to account for in this deterioration of the
physique of the men of the detachment. The detachment at Chunar was relieved every month,
and was remarkably healthy.
XII. Exercise and amusements.— Games are kept up in the regiment, such as quoits and foot-
ball, and the men seem to enjoy them. Officers subscribe towards keeping up the recreation
fund. Gymnastics, under the Adjutant, are kept up regularly among the recruits and young
sepoys, and some of the men are very fair gymnasts. The recruits are put through a regular
course of gymnastic instruction, and the Adjutant reports that the effect is very good in
expanding the men's chest, and enabling them to handle their rifles lightly and smartly.
There is no gardening in the regiment, and it is desirable that an attempt should be made
to induce the men to keep up a regimental garden. It may prove a source of healthy amuse-
ment to some of the men, and every thing which keeps the sepoy from the bazar is a benefit.
Hospital.—The hospital at Agra is a great improvement on the cattle-shed used
as a hospital at Benares ; it is not really good, but it is very fair and generally sufficient.
It is a long single ward, with narrow verandah on both sides ; with a room partitioned
off at one end for a dispensary and office, and a smaller room at the other end for a bath-room.
The ward is—
172 feet long.
172 x 18 x 12
=37,152
18 feet broad.
172 x 18 x 3 =
9,288
12 feet high to the top of wall.
6 feet high up to the top of roof.
TOTAL
46,440
There are 15 doors on each side, with a bed between two doors, and a bed at each corner,
giving altogether 32 beds. Now 46,440
= 1,451.
32
If we deduct from 1,451 c. ft. the space taken up by furniture and the bodies of the
men, it still leaves 1,000 c. ft. at the least for each man, and that is ample. But yet the
hospital has been reported as ill-ventilated, because the entrance of air being by doors on a level
with the beds, and there being no openings above, it is unbearingly draughty if the doors are
left opened, and is close and ill-ventilated if the doors are closed. It will be easy enough to
remedy those errors of construction ; but as a new hospital, on a more desirable site, and on
the standard plan has been sanctioned, it is of no use to enter into further details on the
defects of the old building.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
Or
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
—
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis-
s i o n s .
Deaths.
Daily
a v e r a g e
sick.
Head-quarters at Benares
.
1st Jan. 1876 15th Oct. 1876
405.39
242
5
11.79
75.4
1.56
2.91
,,
on the line of
march.
16th Oct. „
21st Nov. „
700.
116
...
26.6
163.93
...
3.80
at Agra
22nd Nov. „
31st Dec. „
659.16
68
...
20.28
9 4 . 4 9 ...
3.07
Detachment at Berhampore .
1st Jan. „
14th Oct. „
153.8
164
. . .
7.74 135.5
...
5.03
„
at Fort Chunar
Ditto
.
Ditto
‘ .
71.7
42
. . .
1.34
7 4 . 7 4 ...
1.87
TOTAL
.
.
...
...
642.11
632
5
21.44
98.42
.77
3.34
Number of deaths in hospital 5 ; out of hospital 3 ; total
8 ; per cent. of total strength .
1.14
„
invalided
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
39;
,,
, ,
.
5.57
„
sent on sick leave .
.
.
.
.
.
.
5 ;
,,
,,
.71
”
of days spent in hospital
7,850; per admission .
12.42; per man of total strength .
11.23
”
,,
,,
on sick leave 1,274 ; per man .
. 254.8 ;
,,
”
.
• 1.82
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength. .
13.05