Prevalent
diseases.
Fevers.
Injuries.
Mumps.
Rheumatism.
Chest diseases
Deaths.
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Recommend-
ations.
132
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Sickness,
mortality, and
invaliding,
XV. Sickness, mortality, and invaliding.— Strength of the regiment —present, 638.42;
absent, 74.69; total, 712.93.
STATION.
PERIOD.
S t r e n g t h .
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 AN-
NUM.
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 Bakloh . . . 1st Jan. . . . 31st Dec. . . . 638.24
587
5 18.22 91.95
0.63
2.85
Number of deaths in hospital, ... 2 ; out of hospital, 2 ; per cent. of total strength . . . 0.56
" invalided, . . . 13; " " " . . . 1.82
" sent on sick leave, . . . 3; " " " . . . 0.42
" of days spent in hospital, . . . 6,649; per admission, 11.3; per man " " . . . 9.33
" " " on sick leave . . . 458; per man 152; " " " . . . 0.64
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . .
9.97
Eye disease.
Mr. Chesnaye reports that paroxysmal fevers give the largest number of
cases—154 against 210, 514, 231 and 204 of the four
preceding years, reading
backwards. They were mild and tractable, and he attributes their diminished
prevalence to the well-raised barracks. Injuries, mostly trivial, came next,
numbering 116 cases.
An epidemic of mumps from June to October caused 75 admissions; many
more cases did not come to hospital. The disease was mild. Rheumatic affec
-
tions gave 58 admissions: many of the subjects are men hurriedly recruited
after the mutiny, and, even when not in hospital, are not fit for any but very light
work. They spent 1,138 days in hospital, out of a total of 6,649. There were
34 cases of eye disease, caused mostly by the dust and glare in May; 12 and 10
from dysentery and diarrhœa, respectively.
Venereal
diseases.
Tubercular
affections.
Venereal diseases gave 17 admissions. Tubercular affections give only 2
admissions, 1 each of phthisis and miliary tubercle in abdominal viscera, but
both cases were rapidly fatal, and formed the entire mortality of the year of
the sick under treatment.
Diseases of the respiratory system gave a total of 29 admissions. Among
them were none of severity.
In addition to the cases abovementioned, two cases died out of hospital,
one of heart disease, and one of suicide by shooting.
The only epidemic which occurred during the year was that of mumps
already alluded to; 19 persons were vaccinated, among them 16 children. All
the recruits had been vaccinated on enlistment with 3 exceptions, and these
were successfully vaccinated.
The men are universally protected either by inoculation or vaccination.
Recommendations were made regarding rank vegetation and impure water,
and were acted on.
Recruiting.
Inspection.
With regard to recruiting, the medical officer points out that as the in
-
validing committee is not held till 1st April, the number of recruits wanted is
not known till after the cold weather is over, and the recruits are thus subjected
to the unhealthy and epidemic influences of the hot weather. He states:—
If the annual invaliding committee for Goorkha regiments could be held about the 15th
of October instead of the 1st of April, the probable requirement of recruits would be
definitely settled, and the recruiting party commence operations at the commencement of the
cold season, when numbers of Goorkhas come down from Nepal to the frontier, and can be
freely obtained as recruits; whereas, once the hot weather begins, hardly any thing will tempt
them to come down from their hills, such is their dread of the Terai malaria. The drafts
obtained could easily be back with their regiments by the end of February, strong and fit at
once to commence receiving instruction.
Deputy Surgeon-General G. H. Ray, M.D., made a careful and searching
inspection on the 4th of September. He found that all the sanitary and medi
-
cal matters connected with this charge were made the subject of close attention,
and that the physical welfare of the men was thoughtfully and practically con
-
sidered with the best results.