Reports bringing up the statistical history of the European Army in India and of the Native Army and jail population of Bengal to 1876 : and the cholera history of 1875 and 1876, in continuation of reports embracing the period from 1817 to 1872 / by J.L.Bryden.

  • James Bryden
Date:
1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reports bringing up the statistical history of the European Army in India and of the Native Army and jail population of Bengal to 1876 : and the cholera history of 1875 and 1876, in continuation of reports embracing the period from 1817 to 1872 / by J.L.Bryden. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    Bengal Proper. Ondh. N.-W. Provinces. Central Provinces. Punjab Dysentery and Diarrhoea . 51-4 39-2 49-9 48'1 25-6 Respiratory Diseases . 9-7 9-8 14-3 10-9 24-9 Non-contagious Fevers. 8-1 71 9-6 9-7 20-2 Spleen Disease and Ansemia . 12-5 10-2 9-0 14-7 4-4 Phthisis Pulmonalis . 8-8 11-0 5-1 2-1 2-9 Contagious Fevers Apoplexy . . . . None 66 XT JNone iNlone 9-7 10 2-3 2-0 ]-0 2-2 Heart Diseases •9 •9 •6 1-2 •7 Hepatitis •5 •8 -4 1-0 • -4 All other Causes . . 71 12-1 91 11-3 9-0 100-0 100-0 100-0 100-0 100-0 The mortality from bowel com- plaints as exbibited in relation to season, illustrated by a typical exam- ple and by the general provincial ratios. Above I have suggested, that the same influences for evil will in different localities pro- duce different manifestations of disease. In the case of the Native troops in Northern India, I have in a typical exam- ple traced decay to pneumonic disease following the epidemic laalarious fever of 1869, which rendered this year so singularly unhealthy as compared with other years, and above all vdth 1868. The following is a typical example of dysenteric disease following the influences of the very same bad months—a true homologue of the pneumonic disease of the 35th Native Infantry. Out of 1,100, the average strength of the prisoners of the Meerut Central Jail, 9 only died in 1868 from dysentery and diarrhcea; and 7 of these deaths took place in January, winding up the sickly cold season of 1867. In the 18 months from February 1868 to July 1869, 3 deaths in all occurred in this large jail which were attributed to bowel affections. In October 1869, the prisoners began to die; and with precisely the same monthly intervals noted in the case of the 35th, the mortality was renewed in 1870 and 1871, and has been continued in a typical form up to the present time, rising or falling with the influences of good or bad years. In Northern India this might have been pneumonia; in Meerut the disease fell by preference on the abdominal system. I give the deaths of this jail for dysentery month by month for the last ten years, regarding the illustration as perfect and typical:— Deaths from, Dysentery and Diarrhoea in the Meerid Central Jail, 1867—76. Feb. March. April. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Total. 1867 1 2 4 7 5 3 22 1868 1 1 7 9 1869 i 1 2 6 19 15 44 1870 2 1 1 2 3 3 2 1(1 6 20 24 8 82 1871 2 1 3 16 25 24 18 14 103 1872 3 i 2 1 1 6 19 13 7 10 63 1873 1 1 1 3 4 6 21 1 38 1874 3 1 1 1 18 19 21 5 16 85 1875 1 1 1 4 5 1 6 19 1876 3 1 1 7 39 10 10 3 74 14 6 5 4 4 5 11 68 122 125 107 68 539 38 501 In this case, ninety-three per cent, of the mortality is comprehended in the months from August to January, and seven per cent, in the six months from February to July ; and this is the perfection of demonstration. It is not to be expected that the same relative liability will appear in all examples. In Upper India the generalisation holds good ; and for any province beyond the limits of Bengal Proper the parallel is evident. These are the ratios: February to July. August to January. Punjab . . * . . . 19-1 80-9 = 100 Central Provinces ,. 22-9 77-1 = 100 District Jails of North-Western Provinces— Western Division . 16-7 83-3 = 100 Eastern Division . 22-0 78-0 = 100 Oudh . 31-0 69-0 = 100 Behar . . . . . . 25-4 74-6 = 100 In Bengal Proper we deal with a disease much more equally distributed over the year; prisoners begin to die from bowel affections much earlier than in Upper India, and even in June an increase in the mortality is apparent: Eastern and Northern Bengal South-Western Bengal Assam and Cachar February to July. . 39-1 . 39-9 . 40-5 August to January. 60-9 60-1 59-5 = 100 = 100 = 100 In the distribution of fever deaths the proportion is much the same. In 100 deaths from fever, taking the administration of Bengal Proper as a whole, 41 fell between February and 2 E