39
GWALIOR DISTRICT.
XIV. Hospital.— To the south-east of the lines nearly half a mile off; very incon
-venient, both for the regiment and the hospital establishment. It is on the east bank of the
Morar river, in about the best possible situation for developing what are called malarial fevers.
A kutcha building with thatched roof, apparently always in fair repair, in reality just the
reverse. Low sloping verandahs on the east and west. One dispensary or surgery at south end,
and one godown at north. It is very badly ventilated; there must either be a through draught,
the doors and windows being exactly opposite each other, or if doors on one side are closed,
there must or can be no ventilation at all. Neither of these methods are free from objection.
The ventilators in the roof (very improperly so called) are useless ; they do not allow either
the egress or ingress of air, and they do admit a very plentiful supply of water in the rains.
One long narrow ward with pillars running down the centre from end to end, a most
objectionable plan, very dark even on the brightest day, the verandahs come down so low on
east and west sides. No bath-room, no dead house, no infectious disease ward, and no room
or space to build them on. The latrine is the only good institution about the hospital, and
it, for the same reason —want of space—is much too near the sick. Native Doctors' houses or
quarters, servants' huts, cook-rooms, in fair repair apparently, but again, from want of space,
crowding up towards the hospital, which ought, on the contrary, to stand well apart from, and
on a higher level than, any of its out-houses.
Hospital.
ft.
ft.
ft.
Supl. ft.
Cubic. ft.
Hospital . . .
136
x
20 x
11½
=
2,720
=
31,280
is supposed to be large enough to accommodate 50 (fifty) patients; there are beds for this
number ; this would allow only—
Superficial feet per man, average . . .
54.4
Cubic ditto ditto . . .
625.6
The natural drainage is fair into the Morar river. There is no artificial drainage. Water
-supply is of average quality, but not always sufficient in hot season and cold months. I
have to order the guard to prevent any outsiders making any use of it whatever.
Charpoys for the sick are very faulty in construction, the foot or end of the charpoy as
regards string is deficient, in consequence allowing a through draught on the legs and body of
the patient. This is open to decided objection in the treatment of nearly all climatic diseases.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.— Strenth of Regiment—
Present
.
.
. 614.60
Absent
.
.
.
74.07
Total . . . 683.68
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER OF
Daily average
number of
sick.
PER CENT OF STRENGTH
P E R A N N U M .
From
To
Admissions. Deaths.
Admissions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters
atMeean Meer and
Morar.
1st Jan. 1875 31st Dec. 1875 614.60
580
18
19.14
94.37
2.92
3.11
Number of deaths in hospital 18 ; out of hospital 3 : total 21; per cent. of total strength . . .
3.04
" i n v a l i d e d . . . 4 ; " " . . .
.57
" s e n t o n s i c k l e a v e " 1 8 ; " " . . .
2.61
" of days spent in hospital 6,987, per admission 12.04; per man of total strength . . .
10.14
" on sick leave 1,751, per man 97.27; " " . . .
2.54
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . . 12.68
XVI. Principal causes of sickness—
Number of
admissions.
Percentage of
total admissions.
Intermittent and remittent fevers, commonly called malarial . . .
227
39.13
Blisters of feet . . .
51
8.79
D y sentery . . .
45
7.75
Abscess . . .
36
6.2
Pneumonia . . .
35
6.03
Bronchitis . . .
19
3.27
Contusions . . .
18
3.1
Diarrhœa . . .
16
2.75
Chronic rheumatism . . .
13
2.24
Cholera . . .
9
1.55
Phthisis Pulmonalis . . .
2
.34
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Total admissions from all causes 580.