142
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
discomfort and inconvenience of the men, inasmuch as the rain and strong
sunshine beat freely in through the open and unprotected entrances.
Sanitary
circumstances.
Duty.
Hospitals.
Desiderata.
Warming.
Sickness, mor
-tality and
invaliding.
As regards conservancy, supply of water, food and clothing, Dr. McDermott
has nothing to add to the former reports. The duty throughout the year was
not heavy or injurious. The men had on the average ten consecutive nights
in bed. The want of quarters for hospital assistants, medical pupils, and hos
-pital, servants is again forcibly brought to notice by Dr. McDermott. He
writes:—
Although all the usual requisitions for these buildings have been sent in, and the sites
of some of them determined on they have not yet been commenced. A dead-house in con
- n e c t i o n w i t h t h e h o s p i t a l i s v e r y m u c h n e e d e d a s t h e r e i s n o p l a c e t o m a k e a
p o s t - m o r t e m ,
should one become necessary, and a dead body remains for several hours before burial under
the same roof with the patients. A detached airy ward for the treatment of epidemic or
contagious cases, should such occur, is an addition much to be desired in connection with the
hospital.
The want of hospital fires during the cold months is much felt in the native hospitals of
this station. The cost of erecting suitable fire-places would not be very great, and the
additional comfort and advantage fires could afford to the sick, render their adoption a measure
strongly to be recommended.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment—present 631.4;
absent 66 2; total 697 6.
STATION.
PER IOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUM-
BER OF
Da i l y a v e r a g e
n u mb 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-
sions.
D e a t h s . D a i l y
a v e r a g e
s i c k .
Head-quarters at Sialkot
1st January
1874.
31st Decem-
ber 1874.
631.4 407
8 16.43 64.46 1.27 2 . 5 9
Number of deaths in hospital 8; out of hospital 4; total 12; per cent. of total strength
1.72
„ invalided 49; „ „
7.02
„ sent on sick leave 22; „ „
3.15
„ of days spent in hospital 5,999; per admission 14.73; per man of „
8.59
„ „ on sick leave 3,060; per man 139.0; „ „
4 . 3 8
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
12.98
Comparison
with previous
year.
Prevalent
diseases.
Fevers.
Rheumatism.
Dysentery.
Diarrhœa.
Chest diseases.
Eye diseases.
Boils and ab
- s u s s e s .
Foot-sore,
Stramonium
poisoning.
Mercurial
salivation.
The sickness and mortality were very considerably less than during the previous year, but
the invaliding was considerably in excess, as many of the men in the ranks were considered
ineffective on parade.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—Intermittent fever, as usual, heads the list of cau
-sation. There was, however, nothing peculiar in its character generally speaking, and it was
in almost every case amenable to the ordinary treatment with quinine and tonics. Remittent
fever produced twice as many cases as in the year previous, and was as usual obstinate in some
cases. Rheumatism comes after intermittent fever on the list, and it was varied in character.
As usual, it was generally rather chronic, and did not yield quickly to remedies. Dysentery comes
next in point of numbers, and, speaking generally, was of the usual character. Ipecacuanha
and sedatives generally proved effective in its treatment. But few cases of diarrhœa occurred,
and there was nothing noteworthy in their character. The totals of pneumonia and bronchitis
were very much less than for the previous year, and the cases generally were of an æsthenic
character. Eye affections produced a considerable number of cases, but there was nothing
noteworthy in connexion with them. Boils and abscesses, as usual, produced a good many admis
-sions, but there was nothing unusual in their general character.
Twenty-two cases of foot-sore were under treatment during the year, and all yielded
readily to rest and ordinary treatment.
Three men were admitted for stramonium poisoning, which occurred after they had
partaken of cooked vegetables in the lines. The symptoms were well and characteristically
marked in each case. All did well, and were convalescent in a couple of days. One man was
admitted for severe salivation, due to mercury administered to him in the lines by another
sepoy for the purpose, he said, of making him strong; the case was severe, but ultimately re
-covered. The patient was not affected with syphilis.