156
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Sanitary
conditions.
Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.
sent forward to keep the lines in order, consisting of 122 men, and when the regiment marched
to Peshawar, a depôt was formed at Nowshera, at which the sick were left under the care of
Surgeon T. Molony, M. D. ,
w h o c o n t i n u e d i n m e d i c a l c h a r g e f r o m 1 0 t h o f N o v e m b e r t o 3 1 s t
December.
The sanitary circumstances of the regiment appear to have been favorable.
Food supplies were good and abundant, and the men well nourished. Attention
was paid to the protection of the men from cold, postheens being kept at the
quarter-guard and issued to the men on night duty. Duties were not excep
- t i o n a l l y s e v e r e , t h e a v e r a g e n u m b e r o f n i g h t s i n b e d b e i n g 5 . 3 8 . T h eh
o s p i t a l
accommodation at Peshawar was sufficient and good.
XV. Sickness mortality and invaliding. —Strength of the regiment—present 582.7;
absent 103.5; total 686.2.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUM-
BER OF
D a i l y a v e r a g e n u m b e r o f s i c k .
P E R C E N T . O F S T R E N G T H P E R A n - N U M .
From
To
Admis- sions.
De a t h s .
Admis- sions.
D e a t h s . Daily average sick.
Head quarters line of march,
Nowshera and Peshawar.
1st Jan. 31st Dec.
456.23 629 8 22.87 137.87 1.75 5.01
Detachment, Fort Abazai
5th March 1st July
75.77
9
0.75 36.5
1.00
Do., do.
3rd August 31st Dec.
81.79 65
1.91 191.7
2.33
Do., Fort Mackeson 5th March 1st July
31.49
5
1.41 48.8
4.77
Do., do.
1st August 31st Dec.
32.00 47
2.19 350.7
6.84
Do., Fort Cherat
6th July 31st July
111.28
3
1 . 6 4 37.9
1.47
Do., do.
22nd Oct.
1st Nov.
108.42
4
2.71 122.7
2.50
Depot, Nowshera
27th Jan. 27th Feb.
122.00 25
15.71 233.8
12.88
Do.
10th Nov. 31st Dec.
90.41 53 2 24.42 411.3 15.4 27.01
TOTAL
582.7 840 10 29.61 144.2 1.7
5.08
Number of deaths in hospital, 10; out of hospital, 10; total, 20; per cent. of total strength 2.91
" invalided, 14; " " 2.04
" sent on sick leave, 17; " " " 2.48
" days spent in hospital, 10,800; per admission, 12.85, per man of " 15.74
" " on sick leave, 1,444; per man, 84.94; " " " 2.10
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
17.84
Principal
diseases.
Mortality.
Epidemics.
Vaccination,
Inspection.
Lock-
Hospital.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—These were as is usual fevers, which (including both
intermittent and remittent forms) contributed 519 cases, or 62.30 per cent. of all admissions, of
whom 5, or 0.96 per cent. died. Rheumatism (acute, muscular, and chronic) gave 34 admissions,
or 4.08 per cent. Bronchitis (acute and chronic) yielded 28 admissions, or 3.36 per cent. Dysen
-tery and diarrhœa gave 46 admissions, or 5.52 per cent. Ulcers, boils, contusions, and blisters of
the feet gave 89 admissions, or 10.68 per cent. All other diseases combined make up only
14.06 per cent.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality.—The ten deaths at head-quarters occurred as
follows: 5 from fevers, 2 from chronic bronchitis, 2 from acute pneumonia, and 1 from
pericarditis.
X V I I I . E p i d e m i c s .
— T h e r e w e r e n o e p i d e m i c s d u r i n g t h e y e a r .
XIX. Vaccination.—There was no vaccination.
Deputy Surgeon-General G. Banister makes the following remarks on this
regiment in his inspection report:—
The regiment arrived at the station at the end of February, not in the best of health,
and on the 15th November joined the Camp of Exercise at Peshawar. It was previously
garrisoned at Barrackpore, and had taken part in the Looshai expedition.
My inspection was made on the 25th March.
The lines were in excellent sanitary order and good repair, and the barracks well ventilated
and free from overcrowding. The hospital was established in the buildings previously occu
- p i e d b y t h e s i c k o f t h e 3 0 t h P u n j a b N a t i v e I n f a n t r y , a n d a m o n g t h e 3 2 u n d e r t r e a t m e n t w e r e
several cases of chest affections, bowel complaints, and fever of a very serious nature.
Lock-Hospital, Nowshera. —The Deputy Surgeon-General reports as fol
- l o w s : —
This is a second class institution, and on the day of my inspection, the 25th March, there
were no patients. The enclosure and buildings were clean and orderly, but the accommodation
and conveniences so defective, that later in the year it was found necessary to remove the
hospital to more suitable premises. The average annual strength of registered women
amounted to 49.36, and of these 33.13 regularly attended the weekly inspections and yielded
44 admissions. The monthly cost of the establishment came to Rs. 75, one-fifth of which
was paid out of cantonment funds and the remainder by Government.
Out of an average strength of 584.7 European soldiers, there were only 28 admitted into
hospital for venereal affections, and 15 of these contracted infection from stray women, whose