Medical and sanitary report of the native army of Bombay, for the year 1878. : Framed on the weekly and annual returns, on the reports of regimental medical officers, and on the inspection reports of deputy surgeons general.

  • Bombay (Presidency). Military Department.
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical and sanitary report of the native army of Bombay, for the year 1878. : Framed on the weekly and annual returns, on the reports of regimental medical officers, and on the inspection reports of deputy surgeons general. 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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    6. The incidence of sickness and mortality as regards Divisions gives a preponderance in the Northern, where the percentage Incidence of sickness and ra^os 0f admissions and deaths to average strength mortality. present were 200’1 and T6 respectively. The rates of admissions vary much in this Division and range from 346 6 per centum amongst the 1 ltli Regt. N. I. at Bhooj, to 76-4 amongst the 18th N. I. at Deesa. The admission rate in the Bombay Division was 162-5 per cent., but much of this is due to the large number of admissions in the 1st Regiment Light Cavalry, which took part in the Malta expedition ; in this Corps they averaged 216-9 per cent, to strength present. The admission rate in Sind was 153-9, the highest rate being that in the 30th N. I. at Jacobabad, viz. 230-9. In the Poona Division the admission rate was 140-8, and the highest prevailing in any one Corps was that in the Sappers at New Jliansi, 272-1. The death rate in hospital in these three last-named Divisions, calculated on the average strength present, gave percentages of 0-8 in the Presidency and Aden, P3 in Poona, and 1*2 in Sind. 7. The disease causing the greatest number of admissions was malarious fever. Under this head 59'7 per centum of the total ]D!seasets admissions for the whole Presidency are returned, being 16*1 per cent, in excess of 1877, when the rate was 43’6. This admission rate from malarious fevers varies in the different divisions, and ranges from 67’8 per cent, in the Northern to 48'9 in Sind. In the Presidency it was 54*4 and in Poona 55’5 During the year 1877 the percentages under similar conditions for the division as above enumerated were 45’3, 421, 40-0, and 43-9 respectively. The divisional rate of increase over 1877 was as under :— Presidency Division 14*4 per cent. Poona ,, 11*6 ,, Northern ,, 22*5 ,, Sind ,, 93 ,, The increase in this disease has been pretty general, and medical officers have nearly all arrived at the same conclusion as to its cause, viz. an excessive rainfall. In the Northern Division it was very severe and unduly so in the 10th Regiment at Neemuch, the 11th Regiment at Bhooj, the 16th Regiment at Nusseerabad, and the 28th Regiment at Rajkote. The percentages of admissions from this cause on the total treated in these corps were 85*7, 77-2, 75-3, and 73-5 respectively. In the Presidency Division returns the Regiments suffering most from malarious fevers were the 1st Regiment Light Cavalry, the 17th Regiment N. I., Surat, the 21st N. I., Bombay, and the 26th Regiment N. I. Both the 1st Regiment Light Cavalry and the 26th N. I. took part in the Malta and Cyprus expedition, while the 17th N. I. and the 21st N. I. were stationary at Surat and Bombay respectively. In the 1st Light Cavalry the percentage of fever admissions on the total treated was 66'7, in the 26th N. I. it was 62-1, in the 17tli 58-5, and in the 21st N. I. 62*5. In the last named Regiment malarious fever has been steadily on the increase for the past two years. In the Poona Division also some of the corps suffered considerably from malarious fever. Amongst the Sappers at New Jhansi it caused 53*4 per cent, of the total admissions; in the 3rd N. I., Kolhapur, it caused 600 ; in the 4th Rifles, at Sattara, 59‘1; in the 5th and 8th N. I., both at Poona, 67-3 and 684 respectively; and in the 14th, at Belgaum, 59'7. In the Sind Division, too, fevers prevailed to a greater extent than has been known for some years, and its prevalence, especially in Upper Sind, has been attributed to the floods which took place towards the fall of the year. The Regiments which suffered most were the 19th N. I. at Kurracliee and the 27th N. I. at Hyderabad. Those Regiments that are stationed at Jacobabad suffered much more than in previous years. The ratios of admissions in the 19th and 27tli were 67*1 and 60’9 per cent, respectively. The percentage of deaths on the total admissions from this disease, taking the Bombay Army as a whole, was very trifling, being only 0*3.
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