182.
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
accommodation. New out-houses for hospital assistants and servants are to
be built, including an isolation ward and dead-house. The issue of blankets
under G. G. O. 681 of 1877 has been a great boon.
XV. Sickness, mortality, and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment
Present
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 600.26
Absent
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 138.22
Total
. 738.48
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions
Deaths.
Admis.
sions.
Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters at Edwardes-
abed
. 1st Jan. 1877 31st Dec. 1877
548.90 632
7
15.42 115.13 1.27 2.80
Detachment at Jani Kheyl 2nd Jan. „ . 8th Feb. „ .
Ditto
ditto
. 2nd April „ . 2nd May „ .
35.31
10
...
.28 28.32 ...
.79
Ditto
ditto
. 2nd June „ . 2nd July ,, .
Ditto
ditto
. 2nd Aug. „ . 31st Dec. „ .
Ditto
Khirghee . 1st Jan. „ . 7th April „ .
24 ...
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
Ditto
Shekh Budin . 27th April „ . 19th June „ .
46
2
...
.18 16.19 ...
.39
Ditto
ditto
. 1st Aug. „ . 23rd Sept. „ .
Ditto
Bahadur Kheyl 1st Nov. „ . 31st Dec. „ .
64.91
10
...
.91 92.17 ...
1.40
Total
. 1st Jan.1877 . 31st Dec.1877 600.26 654
7
15.73 108.94 1.16 2.62
Number of deaths in hospital, 7; out of hospital, 4 ; total
11; per cent. of total strength
. 1.48
„
invalided
.
.
.
.
.
.
. •
17;
„ „
. 2.30
„
sent on sick leave .
.
.
.
.
.
.
10 ;
„
„
. 1.35
„
of days spent in hospital, 5,746; per admission
.
8.78 ; per man of total strength
. 7.78
„ „
on sick leave, 1,221 ; per man .
. 122.10;
„
,,
. 1.65
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. 9 . 4 3
Principal
causes of sick-
ness,
A gue.
Cinchona
febrifuge.
Bowel
complaints.
Chest
complaints.
Abscesses and
boils.
Ulcer,
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—The health of the regiment contrasts most favorably
with the two preceding years, as can be seen in the annexed tabular statement.
Y E A R .
ADMISSIONS.
T o t a l .
A g u e .
D y s e n t e r y .
D i a r r h œ a .
B r o n e h i a l c a t a r r h .
B r o n e h i t i s .
P n e u m o n i a .
A b s c c s s .
U l c e r .
B o i l s .
B l i s t e r s o f f e e t .
1875
1,257
804
44
59
...
28
12
...
. . .
. . . . . .
1876
8 9 0 568
35
12
12
26
5
33
24
6
4
1877
654
350
30
17
18
14
2
19
17
16
13
A glance . at the above table shows that ague, as usual, is the most common cause of sick-
ness. The quotidian variety supplied 261 cases, the tertian 30, and the quartan 59. In the
months of January, February, March and October the greatest number of cases occurred.
Prior to the receipt of cinchona febrifuge, these cases were chiefly, if not solely, treated by
quinine,—a remedy which I very rarely use now in treating the quotidian or tertian varieties
of ague, as I have found cinchona very effective in them; but I cannot speak so favorably of
its value in the few cases of quartan ague in which I tried it. In none of these was a cure
effected without the administration of quinine. Bowel complaints, furnishing 47 cases, rank
next in point of numbers. Of these 30 cases were dysentery, which was always of a very
Mild form, and readily yielded to treatment by ipecacuanha and opium. Bronchial affections
come next; of these 18 cases were bronchial catarrh, two acute, and 12 chronic bronchitis.
Looking at abscesses and boils, a great difference is seen to exist in the number of admis-
sions this year and last year. This year shows 19 cases of abscess and 16 cases of boil,
against 33 cases of abscess and 6 cases of boil last year. I have been unable to satisfac-
torily account for the great increase in the number of cases of boil. All were admitted
at head-quarters, where the men were under precisely the same hygienic conditions as they
had been during the previous year. There were 17 cases, of ulcer, all of which were