Sickness, moo
tality and
invaliding.
202
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
and constructed, in construction like most buildings in that part of Assam. On a good
wooden and bamboo framing grass sides and roof are placed. The sides are of the large
reed like "nul" grass placed vertically and held in position by strips of bamboo. The roof is
made of good thatching grass. The men lie on machans 2 feet high and 6 feet 6 inches
broad, constructed of split bamboos. At the east end of the hospital 2 small rooms are
partitioned off to be used for store rooms, dispensary, or for a medical subordinate. This
hospital is placed to the north-east of the lines, and in an open maidan adjoining the
parade-ground. A. grass cook-house is placed to the east of the hospital.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the regiment :—present, 313.16
absent, 65.61; total, 378.77.
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
A d m i s s i o n s .
D e a t h s .
A d m i s s i o n s .
D e a t h s .
D a i l y a v e r a g e
si ck.
Head-quarters and right wing at
Gowhatty, Tezpore, and Duffla
Field Force
1st Jan. 1874 31st Dec. 1874 313.16 888 2 22.67 283.56
. 6 4 7.23
Detachment at Julpigoree
Ditto
Ditto
25.62 33 0
1.53 128.80 0.0 5.97
Left Wing at Dacca
TOTAL
313.16
921 2
24.20 294.10
. 6 4 7.72
Number of deaths in hospital, 2; out of hospital, 3; total, 7; per cent. of total strength
1.85
, " invalided 8; " " " 2.11
" sent on sick leave, 29; " " " 7.66
" of days spent in hospital, 8,733; per admission, 9.48; per man of total strength
23.05
" " o n s i c k l e a v e , 4 , 4 4 6 ; p e r m a n , 1 5 3 . 3 1 ; " " " 11.73
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength 34.78
Prevalent
diseases.
Deaths,
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Absence of
venereal dis
-eases..
XVI.
Principal causes of sickness.—The amount of sickness has increased this year,
there being 921 admissions as against 548 last year. This increase is due in part to the large
number of admissions for fevers, namely, 486 against 424 last year, but chiefly to bowel com
- p l a i n t s , w h i c h , i n c l u d i n g d y s p e p s i a , d i a r r h œ a , a n d d y s e n t e r y , a m o u n t t o 2 3 6 , a n i n c r e a s e o f 1 8 4
over the 52 admissions from these causes last year. The . Duffia Expedition furnished 33 cases of
fever and 40 of bowel complaints during the latter half of November and December. Fever
always prevails amongst troops quartered at Tezpore, especially amongst up-country men, who
may be regarded as foreigners, and who are not yet habituated to the climate
.
The cause of bowel complaints is probably owing also to the malarious and damp climate,
but partly also to food, both from its want of variety and also from the fact that few men can
eat attah for any time in Assam without suffering from dyspepsia and diarrhœa.
This sickness has also led to 29 men being sent on sick leave, as against 18 in 1873,
sheaving a loss of service of 4,446 days against 2,880 in 1873, the leave per man being rather
shorter, 153.31 against 160. The total loss of service is also increased in the proportion of
13,179 to 9,742 days, but each case has been a shorter time in hospital. Whether the increase
in sick leave has had any affect on mortality cannot be said, but in spite of increased sickness
only 7 deaths have occurred against 11 in 1873.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality. —Both deaths in hospital were caused by dysentery;
of those out of hospital, 1 was due to bronchitis, 1 to general debility, and 3 unknown.
XVIII. Epidemics.—None.
XIX. Vaccination was carried on during the early part of the year, but no returns exist
of the numbers vaccinated.
XXI. A fact that is apparent, but which is not easily explained, is that venereal disease
is almost unknown, at any rate in the statistics. This great immunity was commented upon
by the surgeon in charge of the left wing last year, and during the present year only one case
has been treated in the right wing. It has been suggested that this may be due to the
practice of unnatural crime, but there appears to be no sufficient ground for this supposition.
It is also improbable that many cases do occur, and that they are treated away from hospital,
as the more advanced cases would then probably come at some period under medical observa
- t i o n , w h i c h t h e y d o n o t . A t t h e s a m e t i m e i t i s i m p o s s i b l e t o f i n d s o l a r g e a b o d y o f m e n
passing a whole year with only one case of venereal, so that some amount must be concealed.
In the hospital all kinds of venereal disease are very uncommon both in their earlier and later
stages. One cause of this may be the superior cleanliness of the men, who are very much
addicted to bathing. Only 5 cases of syphilis (1 primary and 4 secondary) and 1 case of
gonorrhœa were treated last year (1873). Notwithstanding the large amount of sickness, as