Diseases of
the nervous
system.
Diseases of
the digestive
system.
Camp fol-
lowers.
Inspection.
74
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Fever.
Rheumatism.
Syphilis.
Eye diseases.
Respiratory
diseases.
admitted during the rainy season. The disease in most cases assumed the quotidian type, and
rapidly yielded to treatment. Two men whose constitutions were undermined by repeated
attacks were sent on sick leave. The total number of admissions from this cause has been
116 against 122 last year.
Sub-division B .—The admissions from this class of diseases have been nearly the same as
last year. There were in all 25 admissions, 14 from rheumatic affections and 11 from syphilis.
There were four severe cases of acute rheumatism, but there was no cardiac complication
in any of them. They occurred in the beginning of the rainy season, and probably resulted
from want of care on the part of the men protecting themselves from moisture.
All the cases of primary syphilis were soft sores or ulcers, and rapidly yielded to ordinary
treatment. The Hunterian chancre was scarcely ever seen either among the sowars or camp
followers. Only three cases of secondary syphilis were admitted, and these occurred in men
who had been suffering from constitutional syphilis for years.
Eye diseases.—This class gave 15 admissions. Most of them were slight cases of
catarrhal ophthalmia and rapidly yielded to ordinary local treatment. A few developed into
the purulent form, but there was only one severe case in which ulceration took place.
Respiratory system.— In this class the number of admissions has been nearly the same
as last year. There have been three cases of pneumonia ; the disease assumed the asthenic
type both among the sowars and camp followers. There were no deaths from this cause.
Bronchitis gave 11 admissions, most of them very slight cases. One man died at his
home while on sick leave from chronic bronchitis.
Nervous system.—This class gave 9 admissions. They were all chronic cases of neuralgia
and sciatica which proved very tedious in their progress.
Digestive system.— This class gave 31 admissions against 42 in 1873. There have been
7 slight cases of dysentery, 2 of jaundice, 2 of enlarged spleen, one of hepatitis. All of
them rapidly recovered.
Skin diseases.
Accidents.
Deaths.
Epidemics.
Vaccination
Sickness ac-
cording to
race and age.
Recruits.
Cutaneous system.—The admissions under this head have been less than half what they
were last year. Probably the men, having got accustomed to the climate of Oudh, are less
subject to boils, ulcers, &c.
Accidental.—There is also a considerable diminution in this class. There have been 76
admissions against 138 last year. They were chiefly slight contusions. There were five cases
of fracture,—1 of the ribs, 2 of the clavicle, 1 of the tibia, and 1 of the thigh, complicated with
a severe contusion of the outside of the leg which gave rise to extensive ulceration.
XVII.
Principal causes of mortality.— There has been no death in the regimental hos-
pital during the year. One man died on sick leave at his home. He was an old man and
had been delicate for years. Before he went on leave he was treated in hospital for chronic
bronchitis.
XVIII.
Epidemics— None in the regiment during the year. Small-pox was epidemic
in the station during the months of April, May and June. No case occurred either among
the sowars or camp followers, but, at the end of December, one case of confluent small-pox
occurred in the bazar. The child was removed to the small-pox hospital and the hut was care-
fully fumigated.
XIX.
Vaccination.—On
the occurrence of the case of small-pox in the
regimental bazar, Surgeon MacDonald vaccinated 16 men and 27 children ; of
these all the children and about half the men were successfully vaccinated, and
he considers the regiment to be well protected from small-pox.
XXI.
Special observations.—On comparing the register of admissions according to
race, I find there has been considerably more sickness among the Mahomedans, especially
among the Pathans, than among the Sikhs and Hindoos. This has also been the case in former
years. There has been more sickness among the young soldiers, more especially the recruits,
than among the old ones. There are 87 men in the regiment under three years' service, and
these gave 98 admissions during the present year, or 112 per cent. This is considerably above
the average for the whole regiment, but a great many of them are due to accidents in
riding, &c.
There has been some difficulty in obtaining recruits as Lucknow is a long distance from
our recruiting country. Thirty-five men have been enlisted during the year. A few have been re
jected on account of age ; also a few from deficient muscular developement. I think it would
be advisible to have some standard height and chest measurement laid down to guide medical
officers in the examination of recruits.
The Health of the camp followers has boen exceedingly good.
Deputy Surgeon-General H. M. Cannon, M. B.,
paid repeated inspection
visits during the year. He had occasion to find fault with the imperfect manner
in which the dry-earth system was carried out, but latterly observed a great im-
provement in this respect. The hospital arrangements and duties were
always to his satisfaction. The health of the regiment had been excellent.
A hospital bath-room was furnished towards the close of the year.