10
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Sickness,
mortality, and
invaliding.
XV.—Sickness, mortality, and invaliding. Strength of regiment—present 683.3; absent
303.86, total 737.5.
Principal
causes of
si ckness.
Mortality.
PERIOD.
P r e s e n t S t r e n g t h .
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Da i l y a v e r a g e Nu m- b e r o f S i c k .
PER CENT OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM
From
To
Ad mi s s i o n s .
Deaths.
Admissions.
D e a t h s .
D a i l y a v e r a g e S i c k .
Head-Quarters, Barrackpore
. . . 1st Jan.
31st Dec.
376.47
972
3
31.67 258.45
.79 8.41
Wing, Alipore
. . . 1st April. 31st Dec.
227 17
452 3
18.36
264.09 1.75 8.08
Detachment, Jhansi
. . . 1st Jan.
19th Mar.
78.36
2 5 . . .
1.38
149.34
. . .
1.76
"
Lalitpur
. . . 1st Jan.
23rd Feb.
7 3 .
5
. . .
.42
46.29
. . .
.57
"
Sipri
. . . 1st Jan.
15th Feb.
2 6 .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
" Alipore
. . . 31st Jan.
31st Mar.
201.87
60
1
1.62
180.66
3.01
.8
TOTAL
. . .
683.3
1,514
7
53.45
221.6
1.02 7.8
Number of deaths in hospital 7; out of hospital 1; total 8; per cent of total strength . . . 1.08
" i n v a l i d e d . . . 5
4 ; " " . . .
7.32
" s e n t
o n s i c k
l e a v e
1 3 ; " " . . . 1.76
" o f
d a y s s p e n t
i n
h o s p i t a l 1 7 , 8 3 9 ;
p e r
a d m i s s i o n
1 1 . 7 8 ; p e rm
a n
o f " " . . . 24.19
" " " sick leave 2,235; per man 171.92; " " " . . . 3.03
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength . . . 27.22
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—Malarial fevers have been somewhat fewer than the
average. Rheumatic affections, consequent on former disease, have shown themselves more promi
-nently; likewise bowel complaints, which, while they have in number far exceeded the average,
have been of an extremely mild character, with the exception of the cases that terminated
fatally in the month of March. Admissions under head of "other diseases" are chiefly those of
the nervous system; and have been of trifling importance and of short duration. Malarial
fevers and splenitis are extremely common in the villages about Barrackpore. Similar causes
no doubt affect the sepoy. A large proportion of the rheumatic cases are sequelæ to intermit
-tent fever; some few to venereal taint. The chest and bronchitic cases are aggravated, if
not—in the native—altogether caused, by the baneful practice of drawing the smoke of the
native hookha, hot and impregnated as it must be with carbonic acid; into the lungs. I feel
sure that to this cause is due most of the bronchial affections we meet with in the native.
Blistered feet are mainly due to foot-sores contracted by ill-fitting boots made of badly
tanned leather.
XVII. Mortality.—The amount of mortality in the whole regiment has been slightly over
1 per cent., including all cases.
Inspection.
Lock hospital,
Barrackpore.
The Deputy Surgeon-General inspected the lines and hospital of this
regiment on the 24th December 1874. The lines were in excellent order,
huts well built, well ventilated, and not overcrowded. The hospital was clean,
but requires separate accommodation for cases requiring isolation; the out
-offices were in good condition, but a latrine on the same principle as that in
use in the 37th Native Infantry would be an improvement. All the hospital
and medical arrangements were quite satisfactory.
The Deputy Surgeon-General inspected the lock hospital at Barrackpore
in company with Dr. Bourke, R. A., in medical charge. He considers the
present building (formerly an alms-house) as quite unsuited for a lock hospital;
it is far too small, and very badly ventilated. Owing, to the hospital assistant
(attached to detachment, 18th Bengal Cavalry) not residing within the hospital
compound, the supervision is incomplete, but, in a measure to remedy this,
there is always a policeman on duty at the gate. The, officer in medical charge
stated that many prostitutes habitually absented themselves' from the inspec
-tions, and that no punishment inflicted by the cantonment magistrate for
this delinquency was sufficiently deterrent. The medical details were generally
in a satisfactory condition.