Principal
causes
of sickness.
Fever.
Dysentery.
Rheumatism.
Blistered feet.
Delhie boil.
Treatment.
Mortality.
Epidemics.
91
MEERUT DIVISION.
STATION.
PERIOD.
Strength.
TOTAL NUMBER
O F
Daily
average
number of
sick.
PER CENT. OF STRENGTH
PER ANNUM.
From
To
Admis-
sions. Deaths.
A d m i s s i o n s .
Deaths.
Daily.
average.
Head-quarters at Delhie
.
1st Jan. 1877 31st Dec. 1877
630.72
692
6
25.03 109.71 0.95
3.96
Detachment at Meerut
.
Ditto .
.
3rd Feb. 1877
108.14
...
. . .
. . .
...
...
...
Total
.
...
. . . 640.81 692
6
25.03 107.93 0.95
3.90
Number of deaths in hospital, 6; out of hospital, 3; total
9; per cent. of total strength .
.
1.27
„
invalided
13;
,,,,
.
.
1.83
„
sent on sick leave
.
.
.
.
.
.
20;
„
, ,
.
2.81
„
of days spent in hospital, 8,054; per admission,
11.63; per man of total strength .
.
11.34
,, ,,
on sick leave, 2,801; per man,
. 140.05;
„
„
.
.
3.94
Total temporary loss of service per man of total strength
15.28
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.—Taken as a whole, 1877 compares well with the two
preceding years spent at Delhie. Ague gives only 298 admissions against 848 in 876, and 569
in 1875. In my report of last year I found that this disease raged severely after the river
Jumna had risen above a certain height and then fallen, leaving the low cachar lands covered
with deposit of mud exposed to the sun. There is only negative evidence to support this theory
during 1877. The rainfall was insufficient to cause the river to rise up to 656.5 feet above the
Sea-level. The cachar lands were never flooded, and ague was never very prevalent, and
the cases occurring were pretty evenly distributed throughout the year. Dysentery, which
always seems to be associated in some way with ague, gives 48 admissions against 61 and 46
in the two preceding years, or one to every 6.10 cases of ague. Chronic rheumatism gives
only 17 admissions as compared with 29 and 57 in 1876 and 1875. Blister of the foot
gives 49 admissions against 23, 37, 63 and 55 in the four preceding years. This disease is
most common among the recruits when they first take the boot into wear. Delhie boil caused
23 admissions. There were 10 admissions in 1876, and none in 1875, the year that the
regiment first arrived at Delhie. Of these 23 cases, 10 were sent to their homes on sick leave,
and 13 were cured in hospital. In the treatment of these cases there appears to be only
two remedies that are really successful. The first is potassa fusa Which should be applied
freely when the sore is not too large or situated over any important structure, as a
tendon. The second remedy, equally successful, but taking a longer time, is change of air.
The majority of those sent on sick leave were absent for three months, but stated on their
return that the sore healed in about two months after leaving Delhie.
XVII. Mortality.—There have been six deaths in hospital and three on sick leave ;
M o r t a l i t y . p n e u m o n i a c a u s e d t w o d e a t h s , a n d a g u e , e n c e p h a l i t i s , a n æ m i a , j a u n d i c e , B r i g h t ' s d i s e a s e ,
remittent fever, and phthisis, one each.
XVIII. Epidemics.—During the last four months of the year small-pox has been epidemic
in the city of Delhie. At one time it is stated that there were over 300 deaths during the
week. Five sepoys were attacked, and all were believed to have had a previous attack. One
of the men was more marked with previous disease than any man in the regiment. Twenty
six camp-followers, women and children, were attacked, and in four the disease terminated
fatally. All cases were treated in grass huts erected outside the walls of the city. There
has been no case of cholera.
XIX. Vaccination.—Thirty-three men have been vaccinated in 8 of these the operation
failed. Four hundred and sixty-nine separate vaccination operations were performed among
camp-followers, officers' servants and residents in the neighbourhood of the lines. Of these 265
were successful, 120 failures, and in 84 the result was unknown.
XX. Recommendations. —Recommendations were as a rule made verbally. No recom-
mendation made by the medical officer was unattended to. They were principally made with
reference to water-supply and details connected with vaccination of camp-followers and
with regard to small-pox.
Inspection.—The annual medical inspection was made by Deputy Sur-
geon-General H. M. Cannon, M ..B, on the 4th of December. The sanitary
state of the lines was satisfactory. The hospital and all its equipments,
records, &c., were in good order. The men were healthy, and the recruits, who
were specially examined, up to the standard.
Station staff dispensary.— The Staff . Surgeon keeps the medicines for this
charge at his own house, where prescriptions are dispensed under his superintend-
ence. One hundred and three patients were treated in a building which had
been erected for camp-followers when sick in the fort. They dieted themselves.
•Lock-hospital.— Under the care of Surgeon E. R. Johnson. Inspected 3rd
December. Some of the patients in hospital on the occasion of Dr. Cannon's
visit had little or no clothing and bedding. Steps were taken to remedy this.
In other respects the management of the hospital was satisfactory. There
Vaccination.
Recommend-
ations.
Inspection.
Station staff
dispensary.
Lock-hospital.