Principal
causes of
sickness.
Fevers.
Dysentery.
Diarrhœa.
Invalided.
Mortality.
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Special
remarks
8
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
General debility.
Spleen.
Recruits.
Inspection.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—The diseases which gave rise to the greatest number
of admissions were, as in the previous year, intermittent fevers, general debility, hypertrophy
of spleen, dysentery, diarrhœa, blisters of feet, and minor injuries.
The fevers treated were usually of a mild character; and, except in some cases where scorbutic
symptoms were present, yielded readily to treatment. The hypodermic injection of quinine
was extensively made use of, and it proved more effectual than the administration of the same
remedy by mouth in cases of fever.
Under the head of general debility, a number of cases occurring among recruits and short
servicemen were returned. The symptoms in all were much alike.
A recruit, in from two to four months after arrival in the station, became affected with loss
of appetite, flatulence, slight feverish feeling, a disinclination for any bodily exercise, and a
general feeling of weakness without the decided symptoms of any specific illness. These
symptoms were followed by occasional attacks of vomiting or diarrhœa, or both combined, and
gradual emaciation set in ; then succeeded, in most cases, an attack of ague, or the spleen became
slowly and painlessly enlarged, and the man became a constant resident in hospital and entirely
unfitted for further service ; very few of the men recovered, and it will be necessary to discharge
them from the service, or to send them on leave for very lengthened periods, as they do not
seem to be regaining much strength or bodily condition. A large number of the men so
attacked joined the regiment in a miserably half-starved condition. All the men attribute their
illness to the water-supply, which they look upon as of very bad quality and the cause of
dyspepsia and fever.
Hypertrophy of spleen includes a number of cases, which originated with symptoms
similar to those already described under debility, but where the spleen had attained considerable
size. There were very few febrile conditions attending the enlargement of the organ—in some
cases none at all—and nothing was complained of beyond a feeling of uneasiness arising from
the weight and pressure of the growth among the other abdominal organs. The disease was
very common among the recruits and men of one year's service. Comparatively few cases were
found among the men of over two years' service. Very few recoveries took place, and it was
necessary to send a considerable number of the men on sick leave to their homes. The
recruits who suffered will in all probability become in a short time incapacitated for service and
• require to be discharged.
Dysentery.— The cases of dysentery were usually accompanied with a scorbutic taint.
Ipecacuanha with lime-juice was found an effectual remedy in all the cases where early applica-
tion for treatment was made.
Diarrhœa.—The cases of diarrhœa were usually of a very intractable form, and were always
accompanied with indigestion. Ruin with lime-juice were the remedies found to be most
effectual. Astringents and other remedies seemed to be of little value.
The other diseases enumerated in the returns were of the usual character, and call for no
special notice.
There were 55 men invalided during the year-48 of long service, and
7 short-service men.
The causes of death at head-quarters were—cholera 1 ; ague, 1 (died
with symptoms of embolism) ; chronic bronchitis, 1 ; anæmia, 1; dysentery, 2 ;
diarrhœa, 3 ; hypertrophy of spleen, 3. In the detachment hospital at Dum
-Dum
there was 1 death from dysentery and 1 from remittent fever.
There was not any epidemic sickness in the regiment during the
year.
All the recruits enlisted during the year bore marks of inoculation or
vaccination.
• XX. R ecommendations.— Attention was frequently called to the subject of diet, and
the names of all men found in any way underfed, or suffering from symptoms of scurvy,
at the weekly inspections, were submitted to the officer commanding. Such men were placed
under the care of the native officers, who were directed to pay special attention to their feeding
until such time as they improved in condition. The system was perfectly successful in as far
as the ordinary articles of diet were concerned, but the results in the continued manifestation
of scorbutic symptoms showed it was not so successful in as far as a fresh vegetable diet was
concerned. This is an article of diet for which the sepoy receives no compensation allowance.
When it is expensive, and as might naturally be supposed, he does not, except under compulsion,
care to invest much of his spare cash in it. I do not wish it to be inferred that the men as
a rule are improperly fed, only that in some instances the desire to save money is stronger
than the desire to retain good bodily condition.
Surgeon Duncan remarks that the recruits were a fairly good body of
men, but arrived in a half-starved condition : a considerable number of them
requiring treatment in hospital.
Out of the total number of admissions into hospital during the year
nearly a half was from sepoys and recruits of one year's service.
The Deputy Surgeon-General inspected this hospital on the 24th
December 1874.