Principal
causes of
sickness.
Decrease of
fever,
Rheumatism.
34 MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT OF STRENGTH
P E R A N N U M .
F r o m
T o
Admis- sions. Deaths.
Admis
-
sions.
Deaths.
D a i l y
average
sick.
Cawnpore .
.
.
.
1st Jan. 1877 31st Dec. 1877
387.1
220
2
9.9
56 . 8 .52 2.5
Number of deaths in hospital, 2; out of hospital, 1; total
3; per cent. of total strength .
.
.65
,,
invalided
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 17;
,, ,,
.
.
3.7
,,
sent on sick leave .
.
.
.
.
.
9;
,, ,,
.
.
1.97
,,
of days spent in hospital 4,273; per admission .
19.4; per man of total strength .
.
9.37
,, ,,
on sick leave 1,487; per man
.
165.2;
„
,,
.
.
3.2
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
.
12.5
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
General
remarks.
Recr ui t s. Camp- f ol l ower s
Ef f ect of
change of air.
XV. Principal causes of sickness.— As compared with the year 1876, there has been a
marked and satisfactory falling off under almost all the principal diseases. The dryness of the
months of August and September had a most marked effect on the admissions from fever, only
52 being recorded, against 189 of the year before, when the rainfall was normal. None of the
cases of fever were of any severity. The injuries consequent on cavalry duties formed the second
highest number of admissions, and were less than those of last year by 29. Most of them were
slight contusions of the upper and lower extremity. The older men of the regiment are a good
deal affected with chronic rheumatism. One case of acute rheumatism occurred. Salicine has
been tried with several of these cases, but without apparent benefit, the disease being probably
too chronic to expect much alleviation.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— The deaths in hospital were due—one to valve
disease of the heart, and the second to dysentery. The death from heart disease took place two
days after the man's admission to hospital. The disease was of some standing, as he had
an entry in his medical history sheet of an admission for the same affection about two years
previously. In the second case, the patient was unable to rally after an exhausting attack of
dysentery. The third death occurred in the person of a man who had been sent on sick leave
for primary syphilis. The immediate cause of death was not certified.
XVIII. Epidemics.—Cholera was prevalent in the city of Cawnpore in the months of June,
July and August, but no cases were reported in cantonments. In November small-pox broke
out in the city, and was very prevalent; and a few scattered cases occurred in cantonments.
During the year five cases have occurred amongst the regimental camp-followers—one isolated
case in the month of May, and four cases towards the end of December, when the disease was
prevalent in the sudder bazar. Of the five cases, two died, one woman and a child; all the
cases were sent to the city small-pox hospital, and the houses occupied closed, until cleansed and
fumigated.
XIX. Vaccination.—During the year six recruits, who were apparently unprotected,
either by vaccination, inoculation or previous small-pox, were vaccinated, but only one case was
successful: the greater number of the men alleged previous small-pox, though there were no
satisfactory marks to be found on them. Amongst the camp-followers, both in the lines and
in the officers' compounds, vaccination has, as faras practicable, been carried out, and with
the assistance of the native vaccinator attached to the staff hospital, a considerable number of
children have been operated on. Cases are constantly occurring of children being found un-
protected, and they are immediately vaccinated. There seems to be a strong objection amongst
the camp-followers to the operation, and they consequently remove their children out of the way
of the vaccinator. The sowars and their families are, for the most part, protected by inocula-
tion and previous small-pox.
XXI. General remarks.—The year under review has been a very healthy one in comparison
with 1876. More cases have been sent to their homes on sick leave, and the time spent in hospital
per case has been much higher than last year, and some of the cases have been very persistent;
still, on the whole, the health of the men has been very good. The effect of the change of
climate to men sent on sick leave is very great, and they return from their homes, in almost
every case, in robust health. The men being almost all frontier men, are a very considerable
distance from their homes, and when sick leave has been given, it has been found necessary to
make it always of at least five months' duration. Rheumatic affections seem to be much more
common since the regiment came to Cawnpore, though it is difficult to attach any blame to
the climate of the place. Possibly it is more due to the exigencies of the service, through which
many of the older men went in the mutiny, that and their age now beginning to tell upon
their health. Twenty-five recruits were received during the year, most of them being
young, growing lads, and likely to make efficient sowars; in the greater number of cases
they were sons of men already in the regiment. With the exception of the cases of small-pox
previously noted, the health of the camp-followers has been good. There was the usual prevalence
of cases of bronchial catarrh during the winter months. On the other hand, the failure in the
crops of melons and other fruits was followed by a notable diminution in the number of cases
of diarrhœa. At the end of the year small-pox seemed to have established itself' in the syces'
lines, and frequent inspections both of lines and barracks were made; even then it was difficult