204
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding .—Strength of the regiment—
Present
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
757.4
Absent
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
139.6
Total
.
.
897.0
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters
Dibrugarh
and Shillong.
1st January . 31st Dec
. 471
881
10
17.3
187.04 2.12
3.67
Detachment, Sadiya
.
.
"
.
23rd Nov.
. 205.7
219
...
7.1
118.82
. . .
3.44
Golaghat .
.
"
.
16th „
.
53.8
61
. . .
1.5
129.31
...
2.78
„
Shillong .
. 18th Sept.
. 14th Dec.
.
56
38
...
3.0 281.44
...
5.35
Gauhati .
. 11th Nov.
. 31st „
.
179.6
68
...
12.4 270.97
. . .
6.90
„
Tezpur .
. 18th „
.
„
„
. 113
52
. . .
8.9 381.73
...
7.87
Total
.
...
...
757.4
1,319
10
28.7
174.14 1.32
3.78
Number of deaths in hospital, 10; out of hospital, 3; total
13; per cent. of total strength .
.
1.46
invalided
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
17 ;
"
"
•
.
1.89
„
sent on sick leave
.
.
.
.
.
.
26 ;
„
„
.
.
2.89
"
of days spent in hospital, 10,491 ; per admission
7.97 ; per man of total strength .
.
11.69
"
on sick leave, 4,432; per man
.
170.46;
„
„
.
.
4.94
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
.
16.63
Comparison
with previous
years.
The year was one of exceptional healthiness; the number of admissions, deaths, and the
daily average sick being considerably below the average of previous years. For the six preced-
ing years the averages contrasted with those of the year under consideration are as follows :—
AVERAGE.
PERCENTAGE OF
Admissions.
Deaths.
Daily sick.
Average for 6 years
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
231.5
2.9
5.1
In 1877
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
174.1
1.4
3.7
Principal
causes of
sickness and
mortality.
Deaths.
Epidemics,
The death-rate and number sick daily are small, and contrast most favorably with the
figures of previous years. The number of admissions was in excess of that of 1876, viz., 1,319
compared with 1133.
XVI&X V I I . P r i n c i p a l c a u s e s o f s i c k n e s s a n d m o r t a l i t y.
— M a l a r i o u s f e v e r s , a s i s t h e
case everywhere in this province, caused the largest amount of sickness. The number of cases
of the most important diseases that were treated during the year were,—( a) malarious fevers
904=67 per cent. of total treated; ( b) rheumatic affections 52=3.8 ; ( c) chest affections 48=3.5 ;
(d) dysentery and diarrhœa 61=4.5 ; ( e) abscess, boil, ulcer 60=4 .4 ; (f) syphilis, gonorrhœa,
&c., 22=1.6. There were several cases of trifling wounds of feet and hands, only 8 of
blisters of feet, or sores caused by ill-fitting boots. The 10 deaths in hospital were due, 2 to
remittent fever, 1 to cholera, 4 to phthisis, 1 to dysentery, 2 to diarrhœa. Phthisis is of not
unfrequent occurrence amongst Goorkhas in this province. The disease appears to owe its
origin to a state of debility caused by slight attacks of ague. The great humidity of the
climate is no doubt an important factor in the causation of the disease. During the rainy
season in Upper Assam over 100 inches of rain fall annually, and in the cold weather for
about 3 months very heavy fogs prevail in the morning hours, from 6 until 10 or 11 A . M.
The climate is a bad one for people predisposed to phthisis. Cholera prevailed in Dibrugarh in
the months of June, July and August. Only one case occurred in the regiment. It proved fatal.
XVIII. Epidemics.—Cholera and small-pox prevailed to some extent in the Lakhimpur
district during the year.