68
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Principal
causes of
sickness.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.— As I only rejoined the regiment on the 24th Novem-
- b e r , I a m u n a b l e t o s p e a k , o f m y o w n k n o w l e d g e , o f t h e g e n e r a l c h a r a c t e r o f t h e s i c k n e s s d u r i n g
the year, but I believe that it assimilated pretty closely to that of the two years immediately
preceding it ; so that in my opinion the enormous apparent increase in the admissions and
daily average sick indicates no real increase of unhealthiness, and the apparent decrease in the
total number treated, no real (or at most but a slight) decrease on these years. The principle
on which the present return is compiled is so different from that previously used, that com-
- p a r i s o n i s i m p o s s i b l e t o o n e w h o h a s n o t s e e n t h e c a s e s ; b u t t h e f o l l o w i n g a n a l y s i s s e e m s c l e a r l y
to shew that they were, as a rule, slight, and that climate had little to do with the causation of
the immense majority.
Head-quarters.— The 232 admissions were made up as follows :—
Division 1 .—General diseases. Sub-Division A .—92 cases, 78 of which were cases of quoti--
dian, 5 of tertian, and 5 of quartan ague. These contributed 502 to the total of 2,694 days spent
in hospital, or 5.70 days per case. One non-fatal case of cholera, and three slight cases of
mumps make up the total. Sub-Division B gives 7 cases, 6 of them muscular or chronic rheu-
matism, and l of secondary syphilis.
Division II.—Local diseases—caused 75 admissions, distributed thus :—
Diseases of nervous system.— 2 Neuralgia, 17 days or 8.50 per case.
Diseases of Eye.— 8 Conjunctivitis, 43 days, or 5.38 per case.
Diseases of Respiratory system.— 1 Catarrh, 14 days or 14. per case.
Diseases of Salivary glands.— 2 Inflammation, 13 days or 6.50 per case.
Diseases of Digestive system.— 25, one of these was a case of dyspepsia, 6 days ; 16 were
dysentery ; these aggregated 110 days, or 6.9 per case, but excluding one case sent on sick-
leave, the 15 discharged to duty spent only 75 days in hospital, or 5 days per case. The
remaining eight admissions were for diarrhœa, giving 47 days, or 6 per case.
Diseases of the generative system.— 2 cases of orchitis. One of these was caused by bump--
ing against the saddle.
Diseases of organs of locomotion— 1 case of' necrosis following guinea-worm. Partial
removal of the os calcis was done early in May, and the man now bids fair to have a useful
foot, though with a stiff ankle. He is at present away on furlough, and will, I hope, return
to the regiment fit for duty, as he is a good man, and the commanding officer is anxious to
retain him in the service. This case contributes 275 days, or upwards of 10 per cent. to the
total number of days in hospital.
Diseases of the cutaneous system— Gave 34 admissions; 9 for ulcers, 22 for boils, and 3 for
itch. The cases spent between them, 409 days in hospital, or 12.03 per case, but the great
majority were trifling, for while five cases contributed 191 days, or 38.20 days per case, the
remaining 29 gave 218 days, or only 7.51 days per case. In my experience, the majority of
cases in this class were the result of kicks and saddle-galls, and were entirely independent of
climatic causes.
Division III.—Injuries .—Contributed 58 admissions, made up chiefly of contusions caused
by kicks and galls, sprains, bites, &c. Two cases of fractured ribs were admitted, one caused by
the fall of a wall, the other by a fall from horseback; one of fractured thigh by collision with a
bullock ; two of broken leg by kicks of horses ; and one of toe by the horse treading on the
man's foot. These cases contributed 1,121, or 41.64 per cent to the total number of days in
hospital.
It is thus apparent that there is a singular absence of serious disease. The graver forms
of fever, and of cerebral, respiratory and hepatic disease are conspicuous by their absence, and
comparatively few of the severer cases can be attributed to climatic causes. This is well shewn
in the following table, which gives the admissions and days spent in hospital for each class of
disease, with the ratios to their respective totals :—
DISEASES.
Admis-
s i o n s .
Per cent.
of total ad-
missions.
Days
spent in
hospital.
Per cent.
of total
days.
Days per
admis-
sion.
A t t r i b u t a b l e t o c l i m a t e .
Fevers . . .
88
37.93
122 admis-
sions
=52.59
of total
admissions.
502
18.63
775 days, or
28.75 of
total days.
5.70
7 7 5 .
122.
=6.53 days
per case.
Cholera . . .
1
.4.3
23
.85
23.0
Rheumatism . . .
6
2.59
62
2.30
10.33
Neuralgia . . .
2
.86
17
.63
8.50
Catarrh . . .
1
.43
14
.52
14.0
Dysentery . . .
1 6
6.90
110
4.08
6.90
D i a r r hœa . . .
8
3.45
47
1.74
6.0
N o t a t t r i b u t a b l e t o c l i m a t e .
Mumps . . .
3
1.29
110 admis-
s i o n s = 4 7 . 4 1
of total
admissions.
22
.81
1,919 days,
or 71.25 of
total days.
7.33
1,910
110.
=17.44
days per
case.
Syphilis . . .
1
.43
27
1.00
27.0
Conjunctivitis . . .
8
3.45
43
1.59
5.38
Inflamed glands . . .
2
.86
13
.48
6.50
Dyspepsia Dyspepsia . . .
1
.43
6
.23
6.0
Orchitis . . .
* 1
.43
3
.11
3.0
Necrosis . . .
1
. 4 3
2 7 5
1 0 . 2 1
275.0
Cutaneaus . . .
34
14.66
4 0 9
1 5 . 1 8
12.03
Injuries . . .
*59
25.43
1,121
41.64
19.00
232
100.00
2,694
100.00
* One case of orchitis caused by bumuing on saddle added to injuries.