XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.— Strength of the regiment
Present
.
.
. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
390. 4
Absent
.
.
.
.
.
.
. .
.
.
.
59.6
Total
.
. 450.0
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
56
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL
Drainage.
Water.
Effect of
drought.
Diet.
Expenses of a
sower.
Clothing.
Duty.
Recreations. Hos pital
ever since, and are a very great improvement on the former usage. A filth-cart carries hospital
excreta to a distance twice a day, where they are buried. It also goes for the same purpose
to other parts of cantonments occupied by the 9th Bengal Cavalry.
VII. Drainage.—Drainage is artificial throughout cantonments, and is apparently good ;
nowhere is it allowed to escape into wells, but is conducted mainly into a large artificial orna-
mental tank.
VIII. Water.—Water is derived entirely from wells. These are made with raised para-
pets to exclude drainage, and pierce the solid rock which here is only a few feet below the
surface. In the lines are two large wells ; at hospital one. Of these the hospital one in the
hot weather dries up, and is at times muddy and not potable. This year being one of excep-
tional drought, it was found necessary to sink this well 12 feet deeper, and since then it has
improved in its yield. The wells in the lines, though at one time low owing to the drought,
have never dried, but have always given good drinking-water, and in sufficiency.
IX. Diet.—At Deolee food of all kinds is usually excessively cheap, but this year, owing
to impending famine, prices have risen enormously and rapidly, and are slow to fall. The men,
having good pay, feed exceptionally well for natives of their class. The expenses of a sower
taken each year the regiment has been stationed at Deolee were
Rs. A. P.
In December 1874
. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
22 8 7
" 1875
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 23 2 0
„
1876
.
.
.
.
.
. .
. 22 10 7
„
1877
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. 25 8 10
leaving a balance from Rs. 27 regular pay, of Rs. 1-7-2 for extras. It may be noticed that
1877, the year of scarcity, shewed an excess in expense to the three previous years, although the
regiment remained in the same cantonments; this was due to the rise in price of grain.
X. Clothing,— As regards clothing and duty no change has taken place.
Cavalry sports, polo, football and shikar are resorted to for exercise and recrea-
tion. The hospital gives sufficient and good accommodation but leaks in the
rains. A sum of money has been sanctioned for repair of the roof.
Principal
causes of
Decrease o f ma l a r i a l f e v e r s .
Comparison with 1876.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis- s i o n s . Deaths.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters Deolee
1st Jan. 1877 . 31st Dec. 1877
237.9
220
1
10.71
92.4
.42
4.5
Detachment Jhansie
"
"
152.5
143
...
4.73
93.7
...
3.1
Total
...
. . .
3 9 0 . 4 363
1 15.44 92.98 .25 3.95
Number of deaths in hospital, 1 ; out of hospital, 9; total,
10; per cent, of total strength
.
2.2
"
invalided.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
20 ;
„
,,
4.4
„
sent on sick leave .
.
.
.
.
.
17;
"
,,
3.7
"
of days spent in hospital, 5,570; per admission .
15.34; per man of total strength
.
12.38
"
on sick leave, 3,103 ; per man
.
182.5 ;
„
"
6.89
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
.
19.27
.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—There has been less sickness, judging by the number
of admissions this year, than in any of the three preceding years the regiment has been
stationed at Deolee. Thus, there were in 1874, 469 admissions ; in 1875, 388; in 1876, 417,
and in 1877, 363, which shews 54 admissions less than in the year immediately preceding.
This is mainly accounted for by there having been no less than 40 fewer admissions for malarial
fevers. The absence of rainfall this year was doubtless the cause of this diminished return for
malaria. The following table will readily compare the returns for the principal diseases of the
last two years —
Admissions in
1876.
1877.
For malarial diseases .
.
.
.
.
.
.
213
173
„ injuries
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
66
67
" boils.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
36
40
„ rheumatis
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
1 5
9
„ dysentery
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
13
9
„ diarrhœa
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
6
3
„ respiratory diseases .
.
.
.
.
.
.
9
5
„ eye
ditto .
.
.
.
.
.
.
14
13
„ syphilis
. .
.
.
. . .
15
6
„ gonorrhœa
.
. .
.
.
. .
.
5 6