116
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Admissions
from ague in
1876 & 1877.
Dependence of
ague on rain-
fall.
Chest diseases
Bowel co
m-plaints.
Skin diseases
Admissions into hospital for Ague from August to November in the years 1876 and 1877.
YEAR.
August.
September.
October.
November.
TOTAL.
1876 .
.
.
104
217
142
71
534
1877 •
•
.
4
1
14
22
41
As the men occupied the same station and lines, and were therefore exposed to the same
local influences in both years, the above return shows how much the prevalence of this
d i s e a s e i n f l u e n c e d b y c l i m a t i c c a u s e s . A t t e n t i o n h a s b e e n c a l l e d i n p a r a . I V o f t h i s
report to the difference in the rainfall in the months of July and August in the years 1875
and 1876 as compared with that of the same period of the past year ; and it is probably to
this that we must look for an explanation of the great prevalence of fever during the two
former years, and its comparative rarity in 1877. On comparing the second table of the
rainfall given in para. IV with the one shewing the admissions from fever, it is difficult to
resist the conviction that they stand in some close relation to each other as cause and
effect. It has been already stated that the canal irrigation in the station has not been
less, but if anything a little more than in 1876, and therefore it is evident that this cannot
per se be blamed as the cause of the frequency of intermittent fever at Meean Meer. It may,
perhaps, be thought that the small amount of fever in the regiment this year is due to the men
having become habituated to the climate of Meean Meer, and this would to some extent
be borne out by the fact that a large proportion of the admissions from fever in October
and November of this year have been amongst the recruits ; but I do not think it in any
way explains the remarkable difference in the two years, as in 1876 the disease was almost
universal amongst both old residents and new arrivals.
Diseases of the respiratory system.—There have been 41 admissions, which is a high
proportion. Most of them occurred during the colder months of the year, those from bronchial
catarrh in the latter part of the year, chiefly in October. Carelessness in clothing has
no doubt much to do with the causation of these diseases. The cases of pneumonia and
pleurisy were almost equally divided between the right and left sides of the chest, but with
a slight preponderance in favor
of t he r i ght .
Diseases of the digestive system.—These have been chiefly from dysentery and diarrhœa ;
but, as already stated, they have not been either numerous or severe, and were most of them
of short duration. In this respect the present year contrasts most favorably with the previous
one, and, as the drinking-water was the same in both years, it is not to this that we
must look for an explanation of it ; but doubtless, as in the case of ague, to climatic
causes. As was the case in 1876, most of the cases of dysentery occurred in the latter
part of the year.
Cutaneous diseases. —These have been more numerous than in the previous year, and were
principally ulcers and boils, which were very slow in healing and often accompanied by enlarge-
ment and suppuration of the lymphatic glands. I am inclined to attribute this to the dryness
of the season. I remember nothing like it since 1870, when the regiment was at Mooltan.
Accidents
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Epidemics:
Vaccination.
Accidental diseases.—These have been more numerous than in the two previous years,—
82 in all. They were nearly all caused by horses, and, as usual, the greatest number were
of the lower extremities. The most serious were rupture of the spleen and a compound
fracture of the tibia and fibula. both caused by kicks from horses.
XVIII. Principal causes of mortality. —Three . men have died in the regimental hospital,
three on sick leave and one on furlough. Of those who died in hospital, one was an old, weakly
man, whose death was caused by inflammation of the brain ; one died very suddenly, just
after his 'return from detachment duty at Ferozepore, apparently from the formation
of fibrinous clots in the right auricle and ventricle of the heart, and in the pulmonary artery ;
he had suffered from fever and . jaundice in the previous year, and was addicted to the
use of opium and bhang. The third man died from internal hœmorrhage e resulting from
rupture of the spleen caused by a kick from a horse on the left side of the chest ; death took
place in about half an hour after the accident. Of the men who died on sick leave,
one had been ill for some time with dyspeptic symptoms and abdominal pains, which
appeared to be due to the presence of round worms in the intestines he died about 6 weeks
after going on sick leave, but the immediate cause of his death is not known. One had
been suffering since the previous year from chronic rheumatism ; numerous large abscesses
had formed in various parts of his body, and he was in a very weakly state when he left
the regiment ; he died in the hospital of. the 17th Bengal Cavalry at Peshawar about
five months after going on sick leave. The third man had suffered for some time from chronic
diarrhœa and died at his home about two months after going on sick leave. The cause of
death of the man who died on furlough is not known.
XVIII Epi demi cs.— T h e r e h a s b e e n n o e p i d e m i c d u r i n g t h e y e a r .
XIX. Vaccination. —Vaccination of the children and camp-followers of regiments in
cantonments is now in the hands of the Staff Surgeon, but has also been looked to by myself.
All children known not to have been vaccinated, were subjected to the operation either in
the early part of the year or in December. Any recruits that appeared to be unprotected
have also been vaccinated, and it is believed that all the men in the regiment have either been
vaccinated or inoculated, or have had small-pox.