Principal
causes of
sickness.
Ague.
Bowel
complaints.
Lines.
Drainage.
Conservancy.
ALLAHABAD DIVISION.
21
The regiment has not been quite so healthy during the past year as it was in 1873. There
has been a considerable increase in the total admissions and daily average number of sick; still
less than three and a half per cent of sick at head quarters shows a satisfactory degree of health.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—Intermittent fever caused, as usual, by far the
greatest number of admissions into hospital, and I observe that a good many men having
come in with other diseases, suffered attacks of "fever and ague" afterwards. I have reason
to believe, too, that some sepoys, accustomed to slight attacks of fever, do not always come to
the hospital for treatment, but remain on duty or in the lines and get over their periodical
attack as best they can with the aid of a little jalap and "atees." Fortunately the type of the
fever during the year was not severe, and the cases, as a rule, yielded readily to quinine or arsenic.
Dysentery and diarrhœa caused the next greatest amount of sickness, the admissions
being 24 for the former and 14 for the latter disorder. A small proportion of the dysen
- t e r y c a s e s w e r e s e v e r e , a n d i n t h e i r t r e a t m e n t I f o u n d t h e u s e o f t h e c o m p o u n d i p e c a c u a n h a
powder much more successful than the large doses of the simple powder usually recommended.
Indeed in spite of all precautions to obviate it, I generally find that the large doses of the
simple ipecacuanha are not retained. Blistered feet, abscess and contusions come next in causing
admissions into hospital, with twenty cases, thirteen and fourteen, respectively. Primary
syphilis, gonorrhœa and bubo, caused collectively nineteen cases; bronchitis, asthma, pneu
-monia and pleurisy, fifteen cases; ophthalmic diseases eleven cases.
XVII. Causes of mortality .—Only two fatal cases occurred during the year in the
hospital. One was a case of fracture of the spine, the result of an accident while the
sepoy was engaged on famine relief duties; the second was one of intermittent fever compli
-cated with bronchitis.
XIX. Vaccination .—Forty-seven sepoys were vaccinated during 1874; of these thirty
-three cases were wholly successful, five only partially successful, and nine were failures. Re
-cruits are vaccinated as soon as possible after date of entertainment, and I am of opinion that
the regiment altogether is very fairly protected.
Dr. Irving, Deputy Surgeon-General, Dinapore Circle, inspected the hos
-pital of this regiment on the 7th December 1874, in company with Surgeons
A. B. Seaman and A. H. Williams. There was a good stock of medicines in
store, and there was a sufficient supply of instruments, which were all in ex
-cellent order. There were iron cots in use in the hospital, and as the sick com
-plained. very justly of the hardship of having to lie on them while only sepa
-rated from the iron bars or bands by merely a rezaie or durrie, the Deputy
Surgeon-General recommends that straw or cocoanut fibre should be sup
-plied for them.
13th (The Shekhawattee) Regiment, Native Infantry—Benares.
Blistered feet, &c.
Causes of
mortality.
Vaccination.
Inspection.
The regimental head-quarters remained at at Benares throughout the year.
Surgeon-Major A. M. Ver
-chere continues in medical
charge. The regiment fur-
YEAR.
STATION.
PER CENT oF STRENGTH.
Admissions. Deaths. Daily sick.
1869 . . . Jullundur, March 1867,
from Peshawar.
234.7
2.5
6.9
1870 . . . Barrackpore, December
1869.
120.
2.9
5.3
1871 . . . Fort William, March
1871.
158.
4.3
6.9
1872 . . . Benares, Nov. 1872 . . .
174.4
4.3
6.7
1873 . . . Ditto ditto . . .
73.5
2.2
4.3
Average . . .
152.1
3.2
6.
1874 . . . Benares . . .
94.4
1.7
6.7
nished the following detach
-ment during 1874:—Chunar
70 strong, throughout the
year; Patna 89 strong, from
4th March to 1st July;
Mozufferpore 174.42 strong,
from 4th March to 23rd
July; and Berhampore,
157.88 strong, from 7th
March to 31st December.
The detachment at Chunar
was relieved monthly. The
other detachments were per
-manent for the periods out.
Detachments.
IV. Meteorology .—The year was remarkable for an abundant rain fall, a great number
of cloudy days, the early setting in of the rains, and a moderate temperature. The climate
was more like that of Bengal than like that of the North-Western Provinces in ordinary years.
But life was easy as regards meteorological conditions; the heat was moderate, the sun
often screened by clouds; the range of temperature very small, and the rain distributed over a long period.
V. Lines.—No change; state of repair satisfactory; no overcrowding.
VI. Drainage.—Satisfactory.
VII. Conservancy .—The trench latrines for the regiment have been increased, and work
well as far as they go. But the officer commanding thinks that they are still insufficient, F
Meteorology.