Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Medical
charge.
Location.
Water supply
Food.
Duties.
Hospital.
Principal
causes of
sickness.
Epidemic.
170
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Causes of
death.
Special
remarks.
Mortality
according to
class.
Chest affections, chiefly bronchitis and pneumonia, caused 29 admissions as compared with 50
in 1871, 60 in 1872, and 30 in 1873.
The other principal causes were ulcers and boils 41, rheumatic affections 19, and splenitis
14; venereal affections caused 16 admissions, a number much in excess of previous years.
• XVIII. Principal causes of modality.— Five deaths took place in hospital, being 0.80 per
cent. of strength present, as compared with 1.81 in 1873 and 3.91 in 1872. Of these deaths, one
occurred in February from acute bronchitis, and one in June from tonsillitis, the remaining three
on the line of march d u r i n g t h e l a s t t e n d a y s o f D e c e m b e r ; o n e e a c h f r o m p n e u m o n i a , d i a r r h œ a
and acute bronchitis. Six deaths took place out of hospital, two on sick leave, 1 from diarrhœa
and 1 from dysentery; two on general leave, cause unknown, and two at Dera Ghazi Khan on
command, 1 from pneumonia and 1 from anæmia.
XVIII. Epidemics.— No epidemic occurred during 1874.
Vaccination.—All the recruits who were not well pitted with small-pox, to the
number of 90, were vaccinated ; 83 were successful ; the unsuccessful ones were re-vaccinated,
but with no result. The majority of the men have had small-pox either naturally or from
inoculation.
XXI. Special remarks.—The following table shews the mortality of each class composing
the regiment per cent. of strength for the past five years.
CLASS.
TOTAL DEATHS PER CENT. OF STRENGTH,
1870.
1871.
1872.
1873.
1874.
—
Average of
five years.
Raj puts ...
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . . . . .
2.08
4.44
......
......
1.30
Sikhs
...
...
. . .
. . .
5.80
4 .
4.17
3.56
1.11
3.72
Dograhs ...
. . .
. . .
. . .
2.03 ......
6.38
......
......
1.68
Punjabee Mussulmans ...
. . .
. . .
2.84
3.62
5.81
2.14
2.65
3.41
Pathans ...
...
. . .
...
1.02
......
3.45
. . . . . .
3.15
1.52
Other Mahomedans . . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
4.08
40.8
2.12
......
2.05
From the above it appears that the Sikhs and Punjabee Mussulmans furnish a greater percentage
of mortality than the other classes, and the Pathans and Dograhs the least. Taking the two sects,
Hindoos and Mahomedans, the death-rate is nearly equal, being 6.70 in the former and 6.98
in the latter. These results differ considerably from those obtained in the 2nd Sikh Infantry
and 6th Punjab Infantry (vide pages 200 and 217, annual report of 1873.)
NO. 3,Rorse Fight Field Battery -Edwardesabad
.
Surgeon-Major A. P. Holmes renorts that the battery was stationed at
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1869 ... Dera Ismail Khan, Jauu
(ary 1869, from E d -
wardesabad
...
226.5
...
7.7
1870 ...
Ditto,
ditto ...
182.5
2.8
6.
1871 ...
Ditto,
ditto ...
119.8
. . .
3 4
1872 ... Edwardesabad, January
1872 ...
...
318.1
. . .
6.3
1373 ...
Ditto,
ditto ...
312.1
3.
5.5
Average . . .
231.8
1.2
5.8
1874
. . . Edwardesaba
...
299.5
2.8
6.03
Edwardesabad from 1st to
8th January and from 5th
February to the close of the
year, the interval being spent
at the camp of exercise,
Panialah. The sanitary cir-
-cumstances of the battery
underwent no change. A
new well close to the lines
is being dug. Supplies were
cheap and the men well
nourished. Duties were light;
nights in bed 4.71. Hospital
accommodation is sufficient
for the gunners : but the fol-
-lowers sometimes cause
overcrowding. The battery was rather sickly, and the principal cause being
due to malarious fever. Remittent fevers, pneumonia and dysentery, were
the causes of death. No epidemic disease prevailed.