Epidemics.
Cases of cho-
lera.
63
CENTRAL INDIA.
The admissions, 92 in number, are very few in number, and below those
of any of the preceding 8 years, but the figure does not represent the whole
sickness of the regiment, because a certain number of men are placed on the
"lines sick" list. The following table shows the number of these :—
YEAR.
Average
daily strength
present.
Number of
men returned
as sick,
Per cent, of to
total treated to
strength.
Number of men
treated as "lines sick"
and included in
any return.
Total No. of sick
treated in the year
sum of columns
3 and 6.
T r u e p e r e e n t a g e o f
total treated to
strength present.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1877
266.46
78
29.27
372
450
168.88
Lines sick.
Fallacy in re-
turns duo to
the practice.
The treatment of minor cases "out of hospital," though much discountenanced by some,
is yet almost necessary in cavalry regiments, owing to the number of trifling contusions, &c.,
which occur, and which, though possibly incapacitating the man for mounted duties, may yet
permit of his performing all kinds of foot duty (thus taking his proper share of guard duty),
or incapacitating him for both, may, at least, enable him to look after his horse. In the special
case of the regiment at Goona, another circumstance compels the adoption of this "out of
hospital" mode of treatment, namely, the limited hospital accommodation.. Were all these cases
admitted into hospital, the accommodation would. certainly be quite insufficient, as pointed out
by Mr. Edis in his report of 1874, p. 58.
A rough analysis of the line sick list yields the following results :—
I.—Contusions (various) .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
97
Boils
.
.
.
Inflammations (external)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
39
Ulcers .
.
.
.
Total
.
.
.
136
II.—Agne
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. .
. 119
Rheumatism
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
10
Neuralgia
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
4
Total
. .
.
133
III.—All other cases
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
103
103
Grand total
.
.
.
372
Cases treated
in the lines.
XV I. Principal causes of sickness.—The largest numbers were admitted into hospital
for malarial fever, namely, 28 (including twenty-one quotidian, three tertian cases, and four
cases of remittent fever), giving 30 . 4 per cent. of the total number admitted. The next
largest group is made up of accidents of various kinds, 23 in number; that is, 25 per cent.
of total number of admissions. Seven cases of dysentery were admitted. With the exception
of one case they were all slight, the average number of days spent in hospital per case being
only 5.6. The exceptional case, however, was severe. He remained 36 days in hospital,
at the end of which time he improved greatly and begged to be allowed to go to his home to
complete his recovery. This I gladly allowed him to do, but he died some time afterwards
while on leave.
All the other cases are isolated, forming no groups of interest.
XVII. Principal causes of mortalify.—Only one death occurred in hospital; a case of
pneumonia attacking an old and somewhat feeble Sikh.
Three deaths occurred out of hospital. One sowar died of dysentery while on sick leave;
his case has been referred to in the preceding section. A second sowar of cholera, while on
grain-purchase duty. A third was killed by his horse rearing and falling backwards with
him. He appears to have had his skull fractured, and died in a few hours. He was on escort
duty with treasure at the time, and. was not seen by any medical officer.
XVIII.
Epidemics.—Although cholera of a severe form broke out among the emigrants
wandering along the Grand Trunk Road, we were fortunate enough to escape it entirely in
the lines. Two sowars were attacked, but both while out of the station on command. One
of them, on grain duty at a village about 16 miles from here, is reported to have died a few
hours after seizure ; no medical assistance was at hand, and news here was received after his
death. The other was on grass duty about 18 miles from Goona, when he was attacked ; but with
wonderful determination, apprehending the . true nature of his disease, he rode in at once to
the regimental hospital, without communicating with the lines, on a grass-cutter's pony, suffer-
ing all the way from severe diarrhoea! The hospital assistant at once informed me of his arrival
and I lost no time in seeing him. He never actually entered the hospital building, but was
kept on a charpoy under a tree until I arrived. I immediately ordered him to be taken to
a grass hut hospital, which had been erected for the purpose in anticipation, at a suitable
distance both from the lines and our hospital. Here he was treated, the greatest care being
taken to isolate all his attendants and belongings completely from the lines. He had the good
fortune to recover, No other case occurred among our men,
Principal
causes of
sickn ess.
Principal
causes of
mortality.