96
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Clothing.
Duty, employ-
ment, and
exercise, &c.
Hospital.
-Warming.
Sickness,
mortality and invaliding.
two meals. Pathans do not much use milk, but eat meat more plentifully than the other
c astes, consuming every alternate day 4 chittacks of mutton or goat's flesh, of the value of
8 pies, at the rate of 2½ annas per seer. The Mahomedan and Hindustani sepoys eat meat
about once a week, using 4 chittacks or 8 ounces of mutton or goat's flesh at a meal. The
Sikhs very occasionally have the opportunity of eating meat, as they are precluded by their
religion from using the bazar meat, killed by a Mussulman butcher. The native commis-
sioned and non-commissioned officers, who are for the most part Hindustanis, use almost the
same food as the men.
X. Clothing.—The clothing of the men is of good quality, and is suited to the changes
of the season. The jangias worn by the recruits appear to be rather scant clothing for the
nether extremities in the winter; but the men do not complain, nor do they fall ill in conse
quence of it. The practice of employing rags, steeped in oil, ghee, or a mixture of oil, ghee
and wax, for the protection of the feet against shoe-bites has much reduced the number of
men admitted into hospital from this cause, as will be seen from the following statistics for the
last 4 years. In 1874, strength 457, 48 were admitted for blistered feet, or 10 . 50 per cent.
In 1875, strength 673,78 were admitted or 11 . 59 per cent. In 1876, strength 583,124 were
idmitted, or 21 . 27 per cent. In 1877, strength 606 . 0341 were admitted, or per cent. 6.76.
XI, X11, XIII. Duty, employment and exercise, & c.—There is nothing special to remark
beyond what has already been said in previous reports on the subject of duty, exercise and
amusements. The number of continuous nights in bed during the last year enjoyed by all
ranks was an average of 6.97.
XIV.H o s p i t a l . — D u r i n g
t h e p a s t y e a r s h e l v e s h a v e b e e n p u t u p o n t h e w a l l s o f t h e
north ward between the beds, similar to those previously placed in the south ward. Coarse chicks
and purdahs have been set up in the outer verandah, and on the front and back entrances into
the wards. The doors opening into the wards from the verandahs are, however, still unpro-
tected from the admission of heat and cold in the two seasons of the year, and from the in-
vasion of flies in the hot season. The climate of the station from the month of December up
to date has been bitterly cold, and a fire was a necessity for comfort. The hospital, however,
is unprovided with a fire-place or chimney, or supply of fire-wood. The officer commanding
the regiment on verbal representation supplied a small weekly allowance of fuel, and a
chabootra was set up in the middle of a ward and used as a fire-place, a measure which, while
it afforded warmth to the inmates of the hospital, has led to the walls being blackened, as the
smoke from the wood-fire found no outlet. The out-offices, including the dead-house, are in
good repair and sufficient for the wants of the sick, with the exception of the kitchen for
Hindoos, which should be of at least double its present size, as each Hindoo patient cooks
his meal separately. The ground around the hospital has been cleared and levelled, and
provided with efficient surface drains; a pathway or road has been made from the bridge
facing the magazine to the door of the hospital. A concrete flooring, about 3 feet in breadth,
has been laid along the east and north sides of the hospital, to prevent the breaking up of
the ground by the constant dripping from the roof during and after rain. A well for the
hospital would be a great convenience, especially when the number of sick is great. There are
only two bhisties allowed to the hospital, so that if the demand for drinking and bathing-
water be considerable, these two men will be unable to meet it without assistance. About
18 months ago a row of young trees, at short distances from each other and from the building,
had been planted around the hospital. These trees have been carefully looked after, and have
now attained a height of about four feet.
XV. Sickness. mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment
—
Present
1020.41
Absent
107.58
Total
1127.99
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Daily
average
number
of sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters, Roorkee
1st Jan. 1877
31st Dec. 1877
606.03
512
4
13.01
84.48
.66 2.14
Delhie detachment
Ditto
25th Jan. „
502.
35
...
.66 101.79
...
.13
Peshawar
Ditto
31st Dec. „
205.65
361
...
7.28 173.01
...
3.48
Rawul Pindee
Ditto
Ditto
93.91
64
...
3.04
68.15
...
3.23
Quetta
2nd May 1877
Ditto
120.91
366
2
14.95 452.81 2.48 12.36
Total
...
...
1020.41 1,338
6
39.03 131.12
.58 3.82
Number of deaths in hospital, 6 ; out of hospital, 3; total
9 ; per cent. of total strength
.79
„
invalided
24;
„ „
2.12
„
sent on sick leave
8;
,,
„
.70
„
of days spent in hospital, 14,246; per admission
10.65; per man of total strength
12.63
„ „
on sick leave, 1,050; per man
131.25;
„ „
.93
Total loss of service per man of total strength .
13.56