Age and length of service as affecting the sickness and mortality of the European army : and aggregate of the statistics of the army for the ten-year period, 1860-69 / by James L Bryden.

  • Bryden, James L. (James Lumsdaine), 1833-1880.
Date:
1874
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Age and length of service as affecting the sickness and mortality of the European army : and aggregate of the statistics of the army for the ten-year period, 1860-69 / by James 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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    Page. The ratios of mortality and invaliding in the old soldiers, the men above 30, compared with those for the men between 25 and 29 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 18 The old soldiers make up, as usual, the bulk of the invaliding, but the invaliding-rate for young men has largely increased in 1869 and 1870 ... ... ... ... ... ... 20 Death and invaliding of boys at the age of 20, who are supposed to hold a place intermediate between the first and second classes ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 20 The proportion of men above 30 has increased year by year from 1865 to 1870, while the most efficient class—the men from 20 to 30—has diminished, and this being the case, we may expect the invaliding- rate to rise relative to the increase of old soldiers .. ... ... ... ... 21 The death-rate at different ages in newly-arrived regiments. The rate increases steadily with age ... 24 Decreases in the second year at all ages. But the relative liability to death at the diflerent ages continues and progresses towards the standard ... ... ... ... ... ... 24 The invaliding-rate is, generally speaking, low at all ages in the first year, excessive at all ages in the second year, and approaches the standard, except in the case of the old men, in the third year of service ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 27 Antagonism between the invaliding and deaths from heart-disease in newly-arrived regiments in relation to age ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 27 Characteristics of the invaliding of the third year ... ... ... ... ... 28 Loss by death and invaliding in new regiments in the first three years of service ... ... 28 The invaliding of the regiments in the first three years of service has been, with trifling exceptions, of men from one to three years in India ... ... ... ... ... 29 Loss of the Army in general by invaliding at different periods of Indian Service ... ... 29 SECTION III. THE PRACTICAL LESSONS TAUGHT BY THE STUDY OF THE STATISTICS CONTAINED IN THE PRECEDING SECTIONS AND DEDUCED FROM THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF REGIMENTS IN THEIR FIRST YEARS OF INDIAN SERVICE. The Statistics of old and new regiments cantoned together in the same year shown in contrast ... 34 The cholera death-rates contrasted in the cases selected ... ... ... ... ... 36 The ratios for regiments and batteries which have arrived in India between 1864 and 1869 shown in detail, and contrasted in the first and second years of Indian Service ... ... ... ... 38 The diseases of the unacclimatised diminish year by year as the adaptation to heat influence is perfected... 38 The constitution of the old soldier is incapable of undergoing the process of adaptation, or possesses the capability in a much less degree than that of the young soldier ... ... ... 38 Illustrated from the results in the case of old men under exposure in 1858 ... ... 39 The hepatitis of the Army of India is a disease of deterioration, rather than an acute disease developed under exposure ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 39 Intemperance in the old soldier almost certainly leads to death under exposure to heat ... ... 40 A steady process of deterioration goes on during Indian Service, and becomes almost universally manifest in the old men as a class ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 41 Estimate of annual loss by death and invaliding ... ... ... ... ... 41 Details of invaliding in the early years nearly the same in all regiments _ ... ... ... 42 The special diseases to which young lads are liable in commencing Indian Service ... ... 44 The Typhoid of the unacclimatised ... ... ... ... ... ... 44 Specially the disease of the young, and of young men in the first year of service ... ... ... 44 Peculiarly a fever of the hot season, although it may occur in any month from exposure ... ... 45 Typhoid of the young soldier, January to July 1871 ... ... ... ... ... 45 The course which such a fever is apt to follow, illustrated ... ... ... ... 46 Typhoid is not a disease new to India; want of careful observation has caused its existence to be overlook, ed. Typhoid between 1844 and 1856 ... ... ... ... ... ... 46 Tj-phoid between 1858 and 1863 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 47 These illustrations show Typhoid not in outbreaks, but in individual cases, in nearly every cantonment of the presidency ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 47 Since the arrival of new regiments and large bodies of recruits, the subject has assumed an aspect of great importance—Typhoid of H. M.’s 36th Eegiment in 1864 ... ... .. ... 51 Filling up of the lungs subsequent to the attack of Typhoid—a phenomenon obseiwed in the Tj-phoid of 1851, as well as of 1864 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 51 The significance of this Typhoid, and its physiological course ... •«. ... ... 52 All new regiments suffer on first coming to India ... ... ..._ ... •• 52 The existence of the Typhoid has necessarily attracted notice of late years, and various theories have been framed to account for its development ... ... ... ... ... ... 52 While Typhoid is a disease generated in the individual constitution, it is at the same time a truly zymotic disease, and, as such, liable to spread through a community ... ..._ ... ... 53 It is an extraordinary fact that the records of the Native Army and Jail population afford no authentic history of Typhoid ... ... ,.. ... ... ... ... 63 CONCLUSION. General deduction from the facts recorded ... ... _ ... ... ... 54 The judicious selection of stations for regiments newly arrived is of great importance ... ... 54 Stations least subject to epidemic influences should, if possible, be selected ... ... ... 64 It is better to avoid sending to the hills a new regiment which has suffered excessively from heat influence in the first year ... ... ... ••• . . ,••. — 54 Question of sending young men and new regiments to the hills on first arriving m India ... ... 55 It seems contrary to sound principle that young men coming to India as recruits should at once be sent to join their regiments irrespective of the station occupied ... ... ... ... 55 How the constitution of the Ai-my of India changes from year to year ... _ ... ... 55 How a period of twelve years of service in India tells upon a body of British Soldiers, traced from the time when it lands in the country until its return to England ... ... ... ...^ 58 Appendices... ... ... — ••• ••• ••• ...59 to 65