166
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
The year, on the whole, has been a healthy one; and though the returns show an increase in
the number of admissions over 1874 of 134, the cases have for the most part been slight and of
s h o r t d u r a t i o n , a n d t h e h e a l t h o f t h e r e g i m e n t h a s r e a l l y b e e n b e t t e r . T h e i n c r e a s e o v e r
last year is due principally to a larger number of cases of intermittent fever, which disease during
September, October and November, was very prevalent, but a few cases excepted, of no severity
and uncomplicated, a marked feature being the absence of pneumonic complication, in former
y e a r s s o n o t i c e a b l e a n d s o f a t a l . T h e a v e r a g e d a i l y s i c k h a s b e e n n e a r l y t h e s a m e , v i z . ,
1 4 . 2 7 ,
as against 13.12 of 1874, and would have been less but for the detachment at Attock, whose
percentage of admissions rose to 213.93 against a percentage at head-quarters of 118.16 during
t h e s a m e p e r i o d . L a s t y e a r o n l y f o u r d e a t h s o c c u r r e d , a n d t h i s y e a r t h e m o r t a l i t y i s e v e n
smaller, viz., 3, of which number one man died in hospital and two out. Twenty-two men were
i n v a l i d e d i n 1 8 7 5 a g a i n s t 3 4 o f p r e v i o u s y e a r .
Principal
causes of
sickness.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—The majority of the admissions are, of course, due to
diseases resulting from climatic influence; of these, malarial fevers head the list, giving nearly
half the admissions, or 258 out of a total of 544. Of the ague cases, 240 are credited to the
quotidian variety, 17 to the tertian, and 1 to the quartan. Diseases of the digestive system
follow next with 59 cases, of which 34 are due to dysentery and 10 to diarrhœa; one of the
f or mer t er mi nat ed f at al l y. Thi r t een cas es of di s eas es of t he r es pi r at or y s ys t em ar e s hown,
of which three were pneumonia; these latter were severe, and fear was entertained as to
recovery of two, but all eventually pulled through and were discharged cured. Of rheumatism,
there were 19 cases, and of syphilis 22; only one case of gonorrhœa applied for treatment. One
case of phthisis occurred in a Pathan, and ran a very rapid course; the man at his urgent
solicitation was allowed to go on leave to his home, where he has probably died ere this.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
XVI I . P r i n c i p a l c a u s e s o f mo r t a l i t y . — O n l y t h r e e d e a t h s o c c u r r e d , — o n e i n a n d t w o o u t o f
hospital; the former was a case of acute dysentery. The men who died at their homes had
been sent there on sick leave,—one a very old native officer, whose health was quite broken
down, and who would have been invalided at next annual committee, from fever, and the other a
havildar, from splenitis followed by repeated attacks of fever; he, too, was old, and only waiting
for the committee.
Epidemics.
XVIII. Epi demi cs— G r e a t f e a r s w e r e e n t e r t a i n e d a t o n e t i m e o f a c h o l e r a i n v a s i o n .
The di sease was i n t he provi nce. For a t i me i t di d not cross t he Beas, but i n Sept ember, cases
were reported at Amritsar; happily it progressed no further towards Jhelum and Pindi. At
the time the disease penetrated to Amritsar, the country between this and there was inundated
for miles in all directions; whether its progress was arrested by these floods is only conjecturable,
but it was by many supposed to be so; certain it is that the disease did not cross the tract inun
-dated; the passage of travellers, and more specially of such travellers as were likely to convey it,
was much impeded and for a time quite arrested, which of itself was a partial safe-guard.
Certain precautions were adopted, but the orders of Government were against any severe
quarantine regulations. A native doctor was, however, placed in the far bank of the river to
examine any cases of illness and to detain them, if needful; and as the bridge was down, and
travellers could only cross by ferry, this became more practicable. As regards cantonments,
all men and camp-followers returning from any infected district were placed in quarantine
f o r a t i m e . T h e s a n i t a r y c o n d i t i o n o f t h e s t a t i o n w a s e s p e c i a l l y l o o k e d a f t e r , a n d c e r t a i n
sanitary regulations were rigidly enforced. No case occurred, nor was any authentic case
reported from the district; though one, and that fatal, was said to have taken place at Pind
Dadan Khan.
Vaccination.
XI X. Va c c i n a t i o n . —Forty cases of vaccination were performed during the year success
- f u l l y . R e c r u i t s n o t p r o t e c t e d a r e i n v a r i a b l y v a c c i n a t e d o n j o i n i n g . T h e r e g i m e n t i s w e l l
p r o t e c t e d .
Special obse
r - v a t i o n s a n d
remarks.
X X I . S p e c i a l o b s e r v a t i o n s a n d r e m a r k s . — I n J u l y o r A u g u s t l a s t a t r i a l w a s o r d e r e d t o b e
made of the Darjeeling cinchonidine and cinchona alkaloid. Though an indent was immediately
submitted, the medicine did not unfortunately arrive till towards the end of November, when the
number and severity of the cases of intermittent fever had considerably abated; the opportunity
was therefore lost of that extended trial which might have been given had the supply been received
early in September, during which month, and October and November, ague was very prevalent.
I have, however, been enabled to make a trial of the cinchonidine in about 30 or 40 cases.
The results have been most satisfactory, and as far as I am able to judge at present, the remedy
seems little, if at all, inferior to quinine, and will be found in the generality of cases to be a
perfect and efficient substitute for that expensive drug. The cases treated have been the
ordinary run of those that come to a native regimental hospital—some slight, some severe, and
in all a cure resulted more or less rapidly; slight cases only requiring a dose or two, more
aggravated ones a little longer perseverance. The mode of administration and doses are exactly
the same as those adopted in giving quinine; its disagreeable effects, such as singing in the ears,
headache, deafness, seem much the same as those resulting from that drug, and its therapeutical
properties identical. I have not used any quinine in hospital since I have had the c
i n - c h o n i d i n e .
Inspection.
Mr. Banister made his medical and sanitary inspection of this regiment
on the 18th of October 1875; he found the barracks in good repair, well