Alternative
recommenda
-
tion.
Principal
causes of
mortality.
Epidemics.
Vaccination
Recommend
a-
tions.
43
GWALIOR DISTRICT.
condition of the men so attacked rendering them specially obnoxious to the poison: non
-
acclimatization is not sufficient of itself to account for so great a disparity.
Unhealthy lines .—The predisposing cause of this great sickness is, I think, to be found
in the barracks. These have two defects: they are too small, and they are not drained. It
is unnecessary to repeat what was written about this in last year's report. I would repeat
the recommendations therein made:
(a) to lay down a flooring of concrete or cement, and
(b) to drain the floor-space and sub-soil of the huts by digging a small trench
about each of them, and providing these trenches with a fall into the main
drain. I have already in this report suggested adding at least two feet to the
height of the walls.
Unhealthy
lines.
Recommen
-
dations.
Alternative recommendation .—An equally good improvement would be to raise the floor of
each hut above the surrounding soil, as is the case in the hospital.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality .—There have been six deaths in hospital from the
following diseases:—
Constitutional syphilis two; Cholera one; Quotidian Ague one;
Heart-disease (aortic valvular, obstructive, one): Hydrothorax one.
Both cases of secondary syphilis were complicated with ague which contributed almost
as much as syphilis to produce a fatal result. The case of Hydrothorax (double) was secondary
to prolonged illness from intermittent fever.
XVI I I . E p i d e mi c s. — T h e r e
h a v e b e e n n o e p i d e m i c s i n M o r a r . T w o c a s e s o f c h o l e r a
occurred in a detachment of the regiment sent to Dholepore, and of this a separate report
was submitted.
XIX. Vaccination .—None. All the recruits admitted during the year have either had
small-pox or been vaccinated previously. As a tentative measure I re-vaccinated fifty-four
recruits, not one of whom took vaccination.
XX. Recommendations .—1. That accommodation for a larger number at the latrine trenches
should be, provided by one or more additional screens: Complied with.
2. That men suffering from any form of venereal disease be warned to report them
-
selves immediately at hospital. Complied with.
3. That during the hot weather, in the absence of storms, one-half the occupants
of each but be directed to sleep out of doors. Directed accordingly.
Urinals .—In every monthly Sanitary Report attention has been called to the need of
urinals. The officer commanding has endeavoured to move the local authorities to construct
them but unsuccessfully.
The commanding officer, Colonel H. S. Obbard, remarks in counter
-signing the report, that the raising of either walls or floors, would be a very
costly matter. He attributes the fever to a neighbouring latrine and malarious
tract, and states that officers and their families living in the right Native
Infantry lines, suffer equally with sepoys from fever.
Inspection .—Dr . Christison inspected on the 8th of December. He found
that the sanitary and medical concerns of the regiment were being carefully
and thoughtfully attended to. He writes:
Urinals.
Opinion of the
commanding
officer.
Inspection.
"I saw the men on parade on the evening of 8th December in company with Colonel
Obbard and Surgeon Lewtas. I examined them carefully, and it appeared to me that, though
some of them looked thin and weak, they had not been seriously injured as a body, and would
in a short time be in good condition again if carefully looked after and kept at light duties as
was then being done. The hospital was crowded. with fever cases. I examined them all, and
some of the patients were no doubt suffering from severe fever; yet I saw no reason to suppose
these numbers would not soon be diminished by cessation of fever as an epidemic. I have gone
carefully into the question of the outbreak of fever in this regiment in October, November
and December 1877. Dr. Lewtas took the trouble to compare the number of cases in each
class of men, but found nothing special. The lines are much better placed than those of the
17th Native Infantry which remained healthy. The men bad some extra duty for a time, but
not enough to account for such an outbreak. I can, only come to the conclusion that having
lately come to Morar from Lucknow, they have been going through a process of acclimatiza
-
tion in a place where there is a tendency to fever among new comers."
Lock-hospital .—Under charge of Surgeon-Major J. T. M. Symons, M.D.,
A.M.D., inspected 6th December. The building in use was formerly a small jail.
It answers the purpose very well. There were 68.43 women on the register in
1877, among whom 164 admissions took place (11 for gonorrhœa, 55 excoriation, 1
abscess, 1 ulcer of cervix, 20 ulcer of os, 6 ulcer of labia, 52 leucorrhœa, and
18 for observation). The European troops at Morar are remarkably free from
venereal diseases. There was not a single case in hospital from that cause at the
time of the Deputy Surgeon-General's visit. "There is no large city," Dr.
Causation of
the fever.
Lock-hospital.