Chest diseases.
Bowel com
-
plaints.
Deaths.
Epidemic.
Vaccination.
Recommenda -
tions.
130 MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
Boots.
Duty.
Amuse-
ments, &c.
Hospital.
The present pattern of ammunition boot, worn without socks, must be a constant source of
inefficiency, the full extent of which will only be realised on a campaign. These boots confine the
perspiration and so render the feet soft and tender ; while the leather, after getting wet, be
-
comes hard and soon cuts the skin off the upper surface of the toes and the instep.
Xl. Duty and Employment.— The duty, besides the ordinary drills and parades, has included
the collecting and preparing materials for new huts, which are to be built by the men.
The number of nights in bed has averaged 6.56, and has never been less than 3.
XII. Exercise and amusements, &c. Them o s t p o p u l a r a m m u s e m e n t s a r e s h o o t i n g a n d
fishing, by which the men supply themselves with a good deal of animal food. There are few
kinds of fish, flesh or fowl which do not come under the term "shikar." Wood-cutting and
gardening employ a good many of the men, and there is a gymnasium which is well attended.
X1V. Hospital.— The hospital was re-roofed during the year. It is now in excellent
order, but is much too small, and there are no quarters for the hospital assistants, pupils, or
servants. An estimate has been prepared for the enlargement of the hospital and the erection
of out-buildings.
Sickness, mor
-
tality, and in
-
validing.
XV. Sickness, mortality, and invaliding.— Strength of the regiment—present, 643.9 ;
absent, 86.2 ; total 730.1.
STATION.
PERIOD.
S t r e n g t h .
TOTAL NUM-BER
O F
D a i l y a v e r a g e n u m b e r o f s i c k .
PER CENT. OF
STRENGTH PER
A N - N U M .
From
To
Admis-
sions.
D e a t h s .
Admis-
sions.
D e a t h s .
D a i l y a v e r a g e s i c k .
Head-quarters at Dharm-
sala with detacht in Fort,
Kangra.
1st January 31st Decem-
ber.
637.2
663
5
23.8 104.05
0.78
3.73
Detacht. with Lieutenant-
Governor's Camp.
28th March 24th April.
89.
10
0
0.1 146.
.11
TOTAL . . .
. . .
. . .
643.9
673
5
23.9 104.52
. 7 7 3.71
Number of deaths in hospital, 5 ; out of hospital. 0 ; total, 5 ; per cent, of total strength . . .
68
invalided, . . . 6 ; " " "
0.82
" spent on sick leave, 5 ; " " " . . .
0.68
" of days spent in hospital, 8,658 ; per admission, 12.8 ; per man " . . .
11.86
" " " on sick leave, 322 ; per man, 64.4 ; " " " . . .
.44
Total temporary loss of service per mail of total strength . . . 12.30
Prevalent
diseases.
Fever.
Eye diseases.
XVI. Principal causes of sickness.— Of a total of 673 admissions, 269 were for fevers, viz.,
ague a, 252, ague b, 8, ague c, 2, and remittent 7. During the previous year the number of fever
cases was 383, including 72 of remittent. The difference is doubtless due in great measure to
the comparatively mild and seasonable weather in 1874, which was a notably healthy year
amongst the civil population of the district also.
There were 35 cases of ophthalmic disease, several of them severe, but in none was sight
lost.
Blistered feet.
Thirty-six admissions were for blistered feet, caused by the ammunition boot.
Venereal
diseases.
Venereal affections were few—18 in all. As a large proportion of the men have their
families with them, this is not difficult to account for.
Twenty-seven cases of pulmonary disease included 11 of pleuro-pneumonia, which com
-
plaint is very prevalent and very fatal in this district in every autumn.
Of bowel complaints, 16 were cases of dysentery and 7 of diarrhœa. In the previous year
the numbers were 18 and 13, respectively.
There was only one operation of importance—Lithotrity. The patient was a young sepoy
of two years' service. The calculus (uric acid) was crushed completely at one sitting, and the
man recovered without a bad symptom. The debris collected weighed about 2 drachms.
XVII. Principal causes of mortality. Of the 5 deaths, in and out of hospital, two were
from remittent fever, one from pneumonia, one from diarrhœa, and one from sub-acute perito
-
nitis—probably tubercular, but no post mortem examination was made.
E p i d e m i c s . —
N o n e .
Vaccination.— Of sixty-four cases, all successful, sixty-one were children, one
woman, and two recruits.
Recommenations.—1. That a boarded ceiling be provided for the hospital (the
roof of which is of slate) to diminish the heat absorbed by day, and the cold draughts at
night.
2. The improvement of the latrines and the provision of a store house for dry-earth
.
3. The provision of a latrine for the detached small-pox hospital.