Comparison
with previou
s year.
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Effect of
residence in
Gauhati.
Mortality.
Epidemics.
200
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
STATION.
PERIOD
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
OF
Average
daily
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
A dmis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
sick.
Head-quarters, Gauhati
. 1st Jan. 1877
5th Nov. 1877 534.9
806
11
29.5
177.99 2.42
5.5
Ditto
Shillong
.
6th Nov. „
31st Dec. „
411.3
231
4
57.8 266.06
6.21 14.05
Detachment, Tezpur
.
1st Jan.
„
23rd Nov. „
153.1
175
...
5.9 127.59
...
3.85
Ditto
Nowgong .
Ditto
. 21st Sep.
„
7 7 . 7
54
...
2.7
94.26
...
3.48
Ditto
Naga Hills .
1st Nov. 1877 31st Dec. „
214.2
45
1
4.6
125.7
2.79
2.14
Ditto
Alinagar
. 26th Oct. „
Ditto
.
46.0
37
...
10.4
438.17
...
24.78
Ditto
Chargola .
Ditto
.
Ditto
.
46.8
10 ...
2.2
117.84
...
4.70
Ditto
Jowai
. 1st Nov. 1877
Ditto
.
41.4
3
...
.3
43.35
...
.72
Total
.
...
...
787.5
1,361
16
44.6
172.82 2.03
5.66
Number of deaths in hospital, 16; out of hospital, 7; total
23; per cent. of total strength
.
2.58
„
invalided
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
17 ;
„ „
.
1.91
„
sent on sick leave
.
.
.
.
.
.
22 ;
„
„
.
2.47
„
of days spent in hospital
16,307; per admission
11.9; per man of total strength
.
18.30
„ „
on sick leave 2,947; per man
. 133.9;
„
„
.
3.31
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
. 21.63
As contrasted with 1876, the table shows a diminished number of admissions, but it also
shows a great deterioration in the health of the men; with a percentage of admissions of 172.8,
we get a death-rate of 2.58 and a daily sick of 5.66 during the past year, as against 200.9 per-
centage of admissions, 1.2 of deaths, and 4.6 daily average sick in 1876. In 1877, too, the
total temporay loss of service is 21.6, against 18.7 in 1876. The percentage of days spent in
hospital is very large, as, if we take into account the number of cases of slight injuries which
were generally cured in a few days, the figures for actual disease would be much larger. Many
men suffered from chronic malarial cachexia, and when attacked by any acute disease, either
succumbed at once, or had a tardy and unsatisfactory convalescence. The daily average sick
at Shillong ran up to a very high rate, and the percentage of deaths looks very large. There
is no doubt but that the sudden change from the moist warm climate of Gauhati to the cold
bracing air of Shillong brought on attacks of ague, but it was invariably amongst men whose
systems were saturated already with the malarial poison. The enormous ratio of sick at
Alinagar out-post may be traced to the march through a heavy jungly terai at a most un-
favorable season of the year. The stockades have this year been removed to other positions,
and the men occupied in . this work must have been exposed to malarial influences.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.— Diseases dependent on malarial poisoning and
malarial cachexia form the chief causes of sickness. It is useless to add to what was said in
last year's and previous reports as to the origin of malaria at Gauhati. The regiment has
been decimated by its three and a half years' residence there, and it is to be feared that the ill
effects will remain for a long period; the constitutions of the men being so undermined, that
very slight attacks develop frequently serious organic changes. To obtain a sufficient number
of men to form the two full companies detached for the Naga Hills Expedition in November,
I was compelled to choose from the whole of the four Goorkha companies of the regiment, and
even then I had to select some men who certainly could not be called picked soldiers. Recruits,
brought uplast year as well-selected and healthy-looking men, had become a weedy, enervated
looking lot, with enlarged spleens and consequent anæmia. Most of the men discharged by the
commanding officers are men who cut their names at the first opportunity, simply through dislike
to remaining longer in an Assam station. These were all men who had suffered severely from
malarial poisoning. The diminution in the number of admissions during the year was pro
bably due to the fact that the season was generally a more favorable one, and also that the
water in the swamp was allowed to drain off into the river instead of being shut up to stagnate,
as it had been during 1876.
XVII. Mortality.—The causes of mortality may be set down in the great majority of
cases to malarial cachexia, diarrhœa, dysentery, and acute inflammations of any of the viscera,
rapidly carrying off men in a low state of health, The case of ascites was a sequel of dy-
sentery, and had been sent for change of air in consequence of obstinate attacks of fever
which were rapidly reducing his strength. He had been tapped three times. There were
two deaths on furlough, the cause of which was not stated; one from cholera, a very dis-
tinguished. native officer, also on furlough.; a case of gun-shot wound of the abdomen in the
Naga Hills Expedition, and a case of delirium tremens at Shillong.
XVIII. Epidemics.—There was no epidemic of any kind; one case of small-pox occurred
in an unvaccinated recruit, who joined after the vaccination season was over, and one or two
cases amongst the women and children. As, however, there are very few unprotected persons
amongst men, women and children, no fear of small-pox epidemically occurring is entertained,