Statistical reports on the sickness, mortality, & invaliding, among the troops in Western Africa, St. Helena, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Mauritius; : prepared from the records of the Army Medical Department and War-Office returns [by A.M. Tulloch, H. Marshall and T.G. Balfour]. / Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty.

  • Great Britain. Army Medical Services
Date:
1840
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Statistical reports on the sickness, mortality, & invaliding, among the troops in Western Africa, St. Helena, the Cape of Good Hope, and the Mauritius; : prepared from the records of the Army Medical Department and War-Office returns [by A.M. Tulloch, H. Marshall and T.G. Balfour]. / Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    SECTION VI. On the Influence of the Seasons in producwjr Sickness and Mortality among the Troops in the Mauritius. This Command being, like ttie Cape and St. Helena, to the southward of the Line, the un- healthy season occurs at the directly opposite period to that which is usual in the Northern Hemisphere, as is proved by the following Table, compiled from Abstract No. VII. of Appendix, showing the admissions and deaths among the force from 1818 to 1836 inclusive :— ADMISSIONS. DEATHS. By By By Total By By By Tutnl Acute Chidiiic Siir-^ical by all Acute Chronic Surgical by all Diseases. Diseases. Diseases. Diseases. Diseases Diseases. DiseasLS Dise.ises. In 19 Januarys . 2,224 277 1,361 3,862 68 IS 2 8S 19 Februarys 2,076 236 1,133 3,445 62 11 2 75 19 Marches . 2,16.3 242 1,250 3,655 73 18 1 92 19 Aprils . 2,076 246 1 ,186 3,508 92 IS 4 114 19 Mays , , . 1,79.3 247 1,309 3,349 62 10 2 74 19 .J'.ines . 1,439 266 1,251 2,956 56 15 3 74 19 Julys . . . 1,3^8 272 1,222 2,842 49 11 4 64 19 Au<i-iis{s 1,335 243 1,160 2,738 35 19 2 56 19 Si^ptembers 1,404 253 1,209 2,866 34 7 3 44 19 Octobers . . 1,47.5 302 1,259 3,036 42 12 4 58 19 Novembers 1,747 291 1,208 3,246 43 24 3 70 19 Decembers 2,225 281 1,171 3,677 81 17 1 99 In 19 Years . . . 21,305 3,156 14,719 39,IPO 697 ISO 31 908 Mauritius, Influence of the Seasons. Table XIV. Showing the In- fluence of the Sea- sons on the Sickness and Mortality of Troops in the Mao-« ritius. ThisTable includes the Black Pioneers as well as the White Troops, but the admissions and deaths of the former are too few to influence materially the resnlts. There a'e also some discrepancies between the above totals and those recorded in the former part of this Report, though too slight to be of any importance in the general mass. As it is the admissions by acute diseases which principally mark the influence of the seasons, we have converted that class into ratios, for the purpose of showing the exact proportion which occurred in each month, as follows:— In Out of every thoueand Admissions'] into Hospital lor Acute Diseases I the (iioportion i>ccurriu^' in each I Month was Jan. 104i Feb. Mar. 9711011 April 97i May. 84 June. 87J July. 63 An-'. 63 S.pt. Oct. Nov. Dec. Total. 66 69 82 1041 1000 These admissions will be found at the minimum from July to October, the unhealthy- season in the Northern'Hemisphere, from which periods they increase in regular progression till December and January, when they attain the maximum ; the deaths follow the same law, but not with equ .l regularity, because many of the cases entered as acute, may linger for some time ^'efore terminating fatally. Similar conclusions in regard to the liealthyand unhealthy seasons are attained by reference to the average number daily sick in hospital, as stated in Abstract No. IV. of Appendix, viz.—- In Averafi^e constantly Sick of^ wliule Force. . . . f Jan. Feb. M.r. Apr:l Mil)'. June July. Aug. Sept.] Oct, Nov. Dec. Monthly A verH ge. 119 116 120 121 109 100 100 100 92 101 112 117 109 It follows then, as a praclical conclusion from these results, that to admit of troops arriving in this colony at that season when they are lea-^t likely to be affected by the transition, they must embark at a d rectly op])osife period to lho<e intended for tropical colonies to the north of the Line, i'his is of minor im];ortanc'e at the Cape, where so little difference can be traced in the healthy and unhealthy seasons, but in the Mauritius the distinction seems well worthy ofatieniion.