Epidemics.
Systematic
inspection of
married
quarters.
Vaccination.
Medical
charge.
Location and
movements.
Detachment.
93
MEERUT DIVISION.
XVIII. Epidemics .—No case of cholera occurred throughout the year. Three cases of
small-pox occurred, viz., two cases of confluent and one mild. The cases were carefully iso
-
lated and no others occurred. A plan has been introduced in the regiment of making th
e
hospital assistant visit the married quarters of both sepoys and camp followers three times
a week and inspect the children, as often the parents are unwilling to report any case of
small-pox that may occur in their family from the dread of separation for a time from their
children.
XIX. Vaccination .—This year there has been no vaccination; a great many men, how
-
ever, are protected by previous attacks of small-pox.
XX. Recommendations.— During the rainy season it was recommended that the men
should be assembled by companies at the hospital once a week, in order to give each man a
small prophylactic dose of quinine. This was attended with very good results, as I observed
that, after a time, almost all these admitted for fever were men who had returned from command,
and consequently had not received the quinine as a preventive measure.
XXI. Special remarks .—In last year's report I gave a short account of the outbreak of
boils and ulcers that had occurred in the regiment. I have little to add this year further than
that, although the admissions for these diseases have been numerous, still, as a rule, the cases
have not been so severe, and have not proved so intractable to treatment as they did last year,
probably due to the fact that although the malarial poison is still latent, a change of climate
has done much to lessen its effects.
This year the same as last, with the exception of two cases, the victims have been men who
suffered much from Peshawur fever. Several of the men at the end of last year were granted
sick leave to their homes with a view of trying a change of air, but many of them returned as
bad as, if not worse than, when they left, which clearly shows that the cause of the outbreak could
not be laid down to local influences (that is as regards this station) as I at one time was inclined
to think. I expect that another year's residence in Agra will do much to still further lessen the
effects of the malarial poison, and consequently as the system regains tone these cases will
diminish.
Prophylactic
use of quinine.
Boils and
ulcers.
Deputy Surgeon-General E. C. Thorpe, M. D., states in his inspection report
(dated 15th March 1875), that the ventilation of the hospital is not good. In
other respects he found its arrangements satisfactory. The sanitary condition
o f t h e l i n e s w a s a l s o g o o d .
Lock hospital, Agra .—Surgeon-Major J. A. C. Hutchinson reports there
were 81.09 prostitutes on the city register, and 61.30 on the cantonment regis
-
ter in 1874. There was a falling off in numbers of both classes as compared
with 1873. Among these 145 admissions took place, 20 for primary and 2
for secondary syphilis, 22 for gonorrhœa, and the remainder for other diseases
of the genital organs, mostly of venereal origin. Among a strength of 995
Europeans troops, 181 admissions from venereal diseases took place, or 18.19 per
cent. against 24.06 in 1873. The hospital is a small private house situated in
a crowded and busy thoroughfare, and is not considered very suitable to its pur
-
pose. Examinations are held weekly. The attendance was fair, 183 women
of the city class, and 50 of the cantonment register having been reported for
non-attendance. European soldiers are said to consort to a considerable extent
with unregistered prostitutes, and disease is thus contracted.
Inspection.
Lock hospital.
Disease among
European
troops.
20th (Punjab) Regiment of Aatibe Infanry,—Delhi.
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1869 . . . Talagang, March 1869 . . .
33.4
.5
1.5
1870 . . .
Ditto ditto . . .
136.7
.1
3.5
1871 . . .
Ditto ditto . . .
99.8
1.1
2.8
1872 . . . Delhi, December 1871 . . .
135.8
1.7
2.7
1873 . . . Ditto ditto . . .
112.2
.8
2 . 7
Average . . .
103.6
.8
2.6
1874 . . . Delhi . . .
140.7
1.4
3.6
Surgeon W. N. Keefer held charge of the regiment from 1st January to
the 26th October, Surgeon
-
Major A. Taylor from the
26th October to the 5th
November, and Surgeon S.
Brereton from the 5th of
November to the 31st of
December 1874. The an
-
nual report has been fur
-
nished by the latter
officer.
II.—Location and move
-
ments.—The regiment was sta
-
tioned at Delhi throughout the
year, and furnished one detach
-
ment only of 34 men from the
27th March to the 13th November 1874, employed on famine relief duty.