73
OUDH DIVISION.
XV. Sickness, mortality and invaliding.—Strength of the regiment—
Present
358.06
Absent
97.71
Total
455.77
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
P E R I O D .
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
average
number of
sick.
P EE CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
STATION.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
Daily
average
s i ck.
Head-quarters at Lucknow
and Byrampore.
1st January
31st December
264.45
255
...
7.88
96.42
...
2.98
Squadron, Barrackpore
1st January
31st December
93.60
11.7
...
2.76 125.
...
2.95
Total
...
...
358.06
372
...
10.64 103.89
...
2.97
Number of deaths in hospital, none; out of hospital, 1 ; total
1; per cent. of total strength
.21
„
invalided
12;
„
„
2.63
„
sent on sick leave
6;
„
„
1.31
„
days spent in hospital, 3,915; per admission,
10.52; per man of total strength
8.58
„
„ on sick leave, 103; per man,
17.1; „
„
.22
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
8.81
The admissions into hospital shows a decided excess of dysentery as com-
pared with 1876 (20 against 7). The medical officer inclines to attribute this
to the peculiarity of the season. There were 7 cases of primary syphilis at
head-quarters, contracted from some cooly-workers employed in the neighbour-
hood. Surgeon Mackenzie considers that the best way of dealing with circum-
stances of this sort is to induce the men to tell where the disease was
contracted
—
and making a man give up the woman's name, if it does nothing else, at least makes him
mind with whom he associates, and, by putting others on their guard against going near her,
helps to protect the regiment. A second man coming into hospital after such warning, and
naming the same woman, should certainly be punished. The woman accused should be made
known to the city or cantonment magistrate for his orders, and treatment in the lock-
hospital, if there is one.
XVIII. Epidemics.—Three cases of small-pox occurred during the end of November in
a woman and two children belonging to the grass-cutter camp of Horse Artillery and 13th
Hussars attached to the regiment, but they all did well in two grass huts well away from the
lines, and no communication whatever could be traced between them and any infection.
No other cases occurred.
XIX. Vaccination.— Just before the above-mentioned cases appeared, hearing that small-
pox was very prevalent in Lucknow, and finding that, among the 1,010 men, women and
children belonging to the grass-cutters' camp, many were unprotected, and a source of
danger therefore to the regiment, especially as their daily search for grass sent them into
every nook and corner of the villages, and into contact with all the travellers about the ghât,
I applied for and obtained the temporary services of a vaccinator, and soon every one had
been attended to in my presence. The villages, also, within a radius of about 3 miles were
examined and looked to. No small-pox was found, and, with very few exceptions, all who
required vaccination submitted willingly enough, especially as I always insisted on the lymph
from Mahomedans, and high or low caste Hindoos, being kept in separate divisions of the
vaccinator's box (when its origin was known), and this being shown when necessary. It
was the same with them here as I have found elsewhere, that, independently of the higher
caste villagers, &c., making less fuss about being done with lymph which they are assured
did not come from one of a lower caste, the offer of that from one considerably better than
their own often acts as an inducement to the lower ranks, and gets the unwilling or wavering
to agree. One sowar also has been vaccinated. As far as vaccination goes, the regiment and
camp are completely protected from small-pox. I have no information regarding the detach-
ment, but they are said to have all either had small-pox or to have been protected against
it.
XX. Recommendations.—All recommendations made from time to time have been cordially
supported and carried out.
Dysentery,
Venereal
diseases.
Epidemics.
Vaccination.
Recommenda-
tions.