Sketch of the medical history of the native army of Bombay, for the year 1876. : The regiments are placed as they stood in the army list of the 1st July 1876].

  • Bombay (Presidency). Military Department.
Date:
1877
    deaths, to 123 and 4 deaths. In the Poona division there were 463 treated, with a mortality of 13, as compared with a treated of 443 and 6 deaths in 1875. The 8th and 26th N. I. at Poona, the 14th at Belgaum, and the 3rd at Kolhfipur, had the greatest number of admissions. In the Northern division the total treated for lung diseases has risen from 586 in 1875 to 727 in the year under report; the respective mortalities were 13 and 9. The 24th N.I. at Neemuch and the 25th at Mhow have again suffered a good deal. The two regiments at Ahmedabad show also a considerable number of admissions. In Sind there has been a total treated of 180 and a mortality of 29, or a percentage'of deaths to treated of 16’1. This large death-rate is chiefly due to the prevalence of pneumonia amongst the troops stationed in Upper Sind. For 1875 the corresponding figures were 142, 15, and 10‘5. 18. For diarrhoea the total treated numbered 779 with 10 deaths, and for dysentery 738 and 8 deaths. In 1875 the treated for Bowel diseases. each ^gease wag 706 ancj 635jand the mortality 7 and 2, respectively. The whole of the increase occurred in Sind. The percentage of deaths to treated in the latter disease has risen considerably. In both diseases the greatest mortality was amongst the troops of the Sind division, there having been 7 deaths from diarrhoea and 5 from dysentery, out of a total mortality for the whole Presidency of 10 and 8, respectively. In the Presidency division there were 133 treated for diarrhoea, and 130 for dysentery. In the 17th N. I. at Surat, 76 admissions are shown for the latter disease, and in the 6th at Aden 21. In the Poona Division there has been a very slight increase in both totals. The 15th N. I. at Ahmednagar appears to have suffered most from each disease. In the Northern division the number treated for diarrhoea has fallen, while that for dysentery has risen slightly. The greatest number of admissions from the last- named disease were in the regiments at Ahmedabad and Mhow, and in the 28th N. I. at Rajkot. In Sind diarrhoea and dysentery prevailed most amongst the troops of the Frontier Field Force, and for the whole division the respective numbers treated for each disease were 204 and 123 ; the corresponding figures for 1875 were 82 and 61. 19. There is a satisfactory decrease in the total treated for this affection. During the past year the number was 136, as compared with 217 for the preceding year. In the Presidency division, out of 16 cases half occurred in the 17th N. I. at Surat, and 3 in the 21st at Bombay. In the Poona division the total has fallen from 130 to 37. The 12th N. I. at Dharwar, which in 1875 showed 64 admissions, had in the past year only 14; in 1874 there were 142 cases. In the Northern Division the treated numbered 66 only—2 less than in 1875. Cases occurred at nearly all the stations. In Sind the admissions have risen from 5 to 17, 9 occuring in the 29th at Kurrachee. 20. There has been a slight decrease in the total treated for injuries—2,984 as compared with 3,073 for the year 1875. The greatest Injuries and contusions. number of admissions occur, as usual, in the regiments engaged at line-building and in reliefs and movements. The first-mentioned cause gave rise to a considerable number of cases of contusion in the 8th N. 1. at Poona. With one or two exceptions, all the cases of injury recorded are slight, either from ill-fitting shoes or from the unskilful handling of tools at line- building. Guinea-worm. 21, Effects health. of climate on The comparative salubrity of the military stations as regards their climate and general surroundings, can be judged to a certain extent from the sickness and mortality returns of the various regiments. The notorious unhealthiness of Upper Smd and Mehidpur has been already fully dilated upon in previous reports. I beg, however, to draw attention to the remarks made by Deputy Surgeon-General Wyllie on the latter station, in his note on the medical report
    of the 10th N. I. I am glad to notice that Barda Choki has been abandoned, Surat appears to be an exceedingly malarious station; the 17 th N. I. had no less than 684 admissions from fever there during the past year; while in 1874, at Poona, a reputed malarious : station too—the number was 390. On the other hand, the fever admissions in the 26th N. I., transferred from Surat to Poona at the end of 1875, fell from 600 at the former to 318 at the latter station. The gene- ral health of the 17th, judged by the total treated for all diseases, has deteriorated, while that of the 26th has improved. Surgeon-Major Brown in his report men- tions, however, some other causes, besides malaria, which assist in keeping up a high rate of sickness in the 17th, The move from Aden to Belgaum has caused an improvement in the health of the 2nd Grenadiers; the reverse has happened in the case of the 6th N. I., transferred from Belgaum to Aden. The change from Ahmedabad to Kolhapur has produced a notable improvement in the health of the 3rd N. I., the total number treated having fallen from 1,246 to 567. The above examples well show to what an extent the amount of sickness is influenced by climate. 22. The chief movements that took place were the completion of the reliefs Movements begun in the latter part of 1875, the march to Delhi of two regiments of infantry and one of cavalry, and the expedition beyond the Sind Frontier, in which three Sind regiments took part; many of the ordinary annual reliefs were postponed on account of the famine in the Deccan. 23. In all the divisions the arrangements for the cleanliness of the regimental Lineg lines have been carefully carried out; there has been no over-crowding; the ventilation, conservancy, and general sanitary state have been attended to as fully as the numerous more or less permanently faulty conditions of the lines will admit of. The improvement most urgently needed is proper drainage. There is little doubt that were a complete system of drainage carried out in the lines and cantonments, the present amount of sickness from malaria would be surprisingly lessened. In the Presi- dency division the lines of the 20th N. I. at Bombay are objectionable in many respects, especially as regards locality and drainage. The nearness of the Sona- pore outlet drain to the lines of the 21st is also objectionable. With the remarks made on this subject by the medical officer, in paragraph 7 of his report, I quite agree. The lines in the Poona division are, as a rule, favourably reported on. Various improvements are, however, still needed. At most of the stations in the Northern division the lines are unfavourably noticed by the medical officer and the Deputy Surgeon-General. In too many instances, particularly in the Mhow division, the drainage is very defective, the huts are small and badly built, and dampness is much complained of. The lines of the 18th N. I. at Deesa are condemned as utterly bad. Those at Bfijkot are the best in the Northern Division. The new lines promised for the 22nd at Baroda have not yet been built. In Sind the lines are said to be in fair condition. At Jacobabad the huts are, from special local cir- cumstances, more or less damp. 24. As a rule, the water-supply is pronounced by the medical officers to be good and abundant. But few samples have been examined. Water-supply. The necessity which exists for a full and complete standard analysis of the water used at the military stations of this Presidency has been more than once brought to the notice of Government within the last year. That in many cases the water-supply needs improvement is but too evident, and it is hardly necessary to repeat that no rational measures of improvement can be undertaken until the varying conditions of the water itself and of its source are in each case thoroughly investigated. I beg to draw special attention to an account of the water-supply at Asirghar, given in the report of the medical officer in charge of the station. The improvement in the supply at Dharwar has resulted in materially lessening the frequency of guinea-worm in the 12th N. I
    25. Towards the end of the year the effects of the famine became apparent in raising the price of food at many of the stations in the Fo0(1, Poona division. One or two of the medical officers report that sepoys with large families are obliged to curtail their own allowance; in other instances the quality of the food is said to be inferior. The medical officer in charge of the 15th N. I. at Ahmednagar states that, in his opinion, much of the bowel disease which prevailed in the regiment was due to the consump- tion of damaged grain. The full effects of the scarcity on the health of the troops will not, however, become apparent till later in the season. In the other divisions food is generally reported as cheap and good. The want of fresh vege- tables at Aden is evidenced in the number of men who suffer from scurvy. A similar scarcity is experienced at Kijkot; measures should be undertaken to provide supplies of fresh vegetables or potatoes at both these stations. 26. The annual loss inefficiency from shoe-bite, due to unsuitable and ill-fit- ting boots, has been frequently brought to notice, and the 0 1Dg' remedy suggested. As yet, however, nothing appears to have been done towards effecting an improvement in this direction. It would add much to the general health and well-being of the army were the sepoys possessed of a better Bupply of warm undress clothing in order to guard against the ill effects of chill when heated after exercise. The Sind troops, who are exposed to greater vicissitudes of climate than those of the other divisions, should be exceptionally well provided in this respect. 27. The duties do not appear to have been heavy, nor have they had any pre- judicial effect on the general health. Gymnasia and other means for affording salutary exercise, thus im- proving the health and physique of the men, are not, in my opinion, so generally available as they should be. 28. The regimental hospitals are, as a rule, favourably reported on, and, with a few exceptions, their ventilation and accommodation are pronounced sufficient. Some necessary alterations and improvements have been carried out, and others will be attended to. At Satara and Sirur new hospitals are required. Deputy Surgeon-General Joynt brings to notice the dampness of the hospitals at Jacobabad, which, he states, is due to defective construction. This condition needs to be remedied with as little delay as possible. At Jacobabad, above all places, a removable source of unhealthi- ness, like this, should not be allowed to continue. Duties. Hospitals. 29. Vaccination. In every regiment vaccination and re-vaccination, both of sepoys and their families, have been most strictly attended to. Con- sidering what a virulent epidemic of small-pox raged among the civil population of the Presidency during part of the past year, the comparative immunity of the army from the disease speaks well for the manner in which protective measures were carried out by the medical officers. 30. Surgeon MacRury, of the 3rd Sind Horse, gives an interesting and instruc- Epidemic« t-ive account the outbreak of cholera which occurred among the troops of the Sind Frontier Field Force. Although the data are not quite complete, there can still, I think, be little doubt that this outbreak was due to the use of contaminated drinking water. Dr. MacRury’s remarks regarding the immunity of the troops from cholera while at Khelat and Mustoong, although the disease was everywhere raging around them, are full of interest. He does not attribute this immunity to any special precautions in the way of quarantine, but believes that it was due more to the strict cleanliness which was enforced throughout the camp, and to the protection of the water- supply from contamination. While fully sharing in this opinion, I may take the opportunity of offering some further observations in connection with the subject of quarantine in cholera. The contagion, by means of which a disease like this is spread, is of so subtle a nature, that it may be carried from place to place in
    numberless ways ; food itself is not infrequently a vehicle. Therefore, unless all communication of every sort and kind between a body of men and an infected locali- ty is absolutely cut off, quarantine cannot be said to be thoroughly established. It is plain that, in this country at least, the application of quarantine, as described above, is impracticable. Still, though quarantine cannot be established, much may be done to prevent the spread of cholera; communication with infect- ed places should, as far as possible, be cut off; but the chief means of safety con- sists in the strictest attention being paid to the conservancy of the cantonment and its surroundings, while all insanitary conditions, whether existing in the im- mediate locality or among a body of men, should, as far as practicable, be got rid of. Above all, the water-supply should be preserved from contamination. All precautionary measures should be taken beforehand, and the better the sanitary state of the camp, the less likelihood is there of its being visited by cholera or other contagious disease. In the majority of cases where cholera appears in a camp, I believe that the outbreak is due chiefly to some local insanitary condition, and that its arrest may be attributed more to the renewed and successful efforts to ensure thorough cleanliness than to any precautions that may have been taken in the direction of quarantine. The history of the outbreaks in the 13th N. I. at Ahmedabad and in the 17th at Surat, as detailed in the medical officers’ reports, is instructive on these points. In every regiment, when cholera appeared, due precautions were taken to prevent the disease from spreading, and in all cases with success. 31. There are other points on which I am tempted to remark ; but the date is so recent since I took charge of the office of Surgeon-General—barely three months—that I hesitate to commit myself to statements which a further and more extended experience might cause me to regret. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, W. G. HUNTER, M.D., Acting Surgeon-General,
    A SKETCH OP THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY EOR THE YEAR 18 76, [The regiments are placed as they stood in the Army List on the 1st July 1876.] PRESIDENCY DIVISION, ADEN, AND BOMBAY MARINE. Average strength present during the year 3,207'Q Average daily sick per cent, to the average strength ... 3'9 Ratio of mortality per cent, to the average strength ... T4 H. M.’s 20th Regiment N. I. Bombay.-—In medical charge of Surgeon-Major G. Asher, M.D.; strength 594 5. The regiment has been stationed in Bombay; there is a detachment at Janjira, and interchange of men between that out-post and head-quarters has frequently taken place. Movements. 2. Statistical information as regards the health of the men on Detachments. detachment ” duty does not come under my scrutiny; but I am under the impression that the men of the 20th Regiment who are on duty at Janjira are comparatively less sick than those who have to take part in the heavy garrison work in Bombay. 3. The locality of the lines is very bad ; they are situated in the vicinity of a thickly Lmes populated district, and on ground occupied in like manner for a long period, and saturated with rottenness: moreover, they are close to an abominable depot of filth, the effluvium from which is perceivable and most offensive, by times, throughout the eastern division of the lines. Space in, and ventilation of, huts are sufficient; the height of plinth of huts varies; the floors of all are, more or less, damp during the monsoon season. The huts constituting the regimental bazaar present a very dilapidated and unseemly appearance. 4, The surface drainage in the lines is very defective. Gutters carefully constructed ,, , ., have been formed in two of the pathways intervening between rangements, rows of huts. JN one of the drams are trapped at openings, and there is to be seen, and smelt, a mass of seething filth at these apertures. As regards house drainage, it is very imperfect; and the very objectionable cess- pool system still obtains in many instances. There are no tanks within the lines. The con- dition of the ways is excessively bad. Many of the pathways are unsightly, and so rugged as to be dangerous to the very old, or very young, using them. Water-Supply. 5. Water is supplied from the Vehar lake, and no com- plaint of deficiency has been made.