MEERUTT DIVISION.
95
X V . S i c k n e s s , m o r t a l i t y a n d i n v a l i d i n g , — S t r e n g t h o f r e g i m e n t — p r e s e n t 5 8 2 ; a b s e n t 1 0 7
total 689.
Siekness mor
-
tality and
invaliding.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUM-
BER OF
D a i l y a v e r a g e n u m b e r o f s i c k .
PER CENT. OF
STRENGTH PER
ANNUM.
From.
To.
Admis-
sions.
D e a t h s .
Admis-
s i o n s .
D e a t h s .
D a i l y a v e a g e s i c k .
Head-quarters at Delhi . . . 1st January
31st Decr . . .
582
819
7
21.03 140.72
1.20
3.61
Number of deaths in hospital, 7 ; out of hospital, 3 ; total, 10 ; per cent. of total strength . . .
1.45
" invalided, . . . 22 ; " " " . . .
3.19
" Sent on sick leave, . . . 12; " " " . . .
1.74
" days in hospital, . . . 7,913; per admission, . . . 9.66 per man " " . . .
11.48
" on sick leave, . . . 1,268; per man, . . . 105.67 " " " . . .
1.84
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . .
13.32
The sickness has been greater in 1874 than in 1873, the admissions by 27.81 per cent
of strength per annum, and the daily average sick by .51. The mortality was also greater by
.37 per cent. of strength per annum. But the invaliding was less in 1874 than in 1873 by 1.29
per cent. per annum.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—By tar the greatest cause of sickness was ague (a)
producing 506 admissions, bronchitis producing 51, boils 30, dysentery 28, rheumatism 23, gen
-
eral debility 18, blistered feet 17, Delhi boils 15, diarrahœa 11, and splenitis 8. No other
disease gave many admissions.
Comparison.
with 1873.
Prevalent
diseases.
Though the health of the 20th regiment will contrast favorably with that of other corps
stationed at Delhi, for instance the 17th Regiment Native Infantry, who were there before
this regiment, yet the reasons for the ordinary amount of sickness in the regiment at Delhi
and for the amount in 1874 being greater than in 1873, require discussion. These reasons are,
lst—the district of Delhi is naturally malarious as shown in paragraph III. The soil is water
-
logged on account of the natural conformation of the district, for the want of proper drainage
and from the saturation of the soil in other instances by irrigation producing a miasma or
malaria, generally allowed to be the cause of ague. The river overflowing its banks in the
rains, and the amount of debris it carries down also contribute to the same cause. 2nd— Bad
water. The water of the wells naturally is impure, containing organic remains, shown by
the nitrites, &c., and the large proportion of solids, while the river and canal water are subject
to various sources of contamination as explained in paragraph VIII. 3rd—Though the lines and
barracks are superior to many occupied by native troops in India, still the defect mentioned
in paragraph V must have a deleterious effect on the health of the occupiers. 4th—The hygeinic
condition of the city, though better than that of most Indian cities, also tells on the men.
As the lines are situated immediately in the city, all the diseases producing the vast majority
of the admissions,—ague, bronchitis, boils, dysentery, rheumatism, general debility, &c.,—can
be referred to the above causes.
The excess of sickness in 1874 is probably due to the following causes : 1st—The regiment
has been one year longer exposed to the accumulative influence of the above mentioned causes
of sickness. 2nd—The invaliding was less in 1874 by 1.29 per cent. whereby the old weakly men
are got rid of, who give a large number of admissions and days in hospital. 3rd—The number
of recruits discharged for medical reasons in 1874 being much greater than 1873, shows
that the recruits were physically inferior, anu produced a larger average of admissions and
days in hospital. 4th—There was a slight epidemic of measles in the beginning of the year
as shown by the returns.
Causes of
excessive
sickness.
The excess of
sickness in
1874 explaiu-
ed.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— Of the 7 deaths in hospital in 1874, 2 were caused
by bronchitis, 1 by pneumonia, 1 by general debility, 1 by remittent fever, 1 by measles, and
one by heat apoplexy.
XVIII. Epidemics.—There seems to have been a slight epidemic of measles in the be
-
ginning of the year, producing 9 admissions and one death ; but no particulars are recorded
No further epidemic attacked the regiment in 1874.
Deaths.
Measles.
XIX. Vaccination.— No vaccination seems to have been performed, as there are no re
-
turne in the office.
Substitutes for quinine.—I
continued experiments in tins regiment with various drugs, which
I commenced on the Burmah Frontier. Eucalyptus and eucalyptine, carbozotate of ammonia, car
-
bolic acid, hyposylphite of soda, salicine, &c. None of them seem equal to quinine. Eucalyptus
found uncertain. Carbozotate of ammonia is very useful in enlargement of the spleen, and several
cases yielded to carbolic acid, especially by the hypodermic method, that resisted quinine for a
long time, but a record of the cases is too long for a regimental annual report. The diffi
-
culty of getting eligible recruits for the Native army is generally acknowledged, and the
Vaccination.
Antiperiodics.
Difficulty of
getting
eligible
recruits.