Medical and sanitary reports of the native army of Madras for the year 1874 : framed on the weekly an annual returns, on the reports of regimental medical officers, and on the inspection reports of deputy surgeons-general of the Indian Medical Department.

Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical and sanitary reports of the native army of Madras for the year 1874 : framed on the weekly an annual returns, on the reports of regimental medical officers, and on the inspection reports of deputy surgeons-general of the Indian Medical Department. 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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    Station—Madras (Vepery). Arrived from Moulmein 16tli March 1872. Average strength Do. do present Admissions Daily sick Deaths in hospital Do. out of hospital Pensioned Sick leave 689 669 601 19 8 2 11 19 The following return shows the rates of sickness, deaths, and invaliding as contrasted with previous years ;— Years. Stations. Bate per Cent, of Average Strength Present. Average Strength. Admissions. Daily Sick. All Deaths. Pensioned. Sick Leave. 1871 Moulmein... 173-21 5-03 3-89 1-46 Ici72 Madras 181-89 3-98 1-26 4-74 1873 Do 78-66 2-61 1-43 374 1-007 1874 Average ... Madras 144-58 3-87 2-19 1-24 2-40 74-88 2-84 1-45 1-59 2-75 has been in medical charge during the Surgeon-Major J. M. Joseph, m.d.. year, and reports as follows :— Lines.—The lines of the 87th Regiment are situated on low ground, badly built, badly Lines, ventilated, and badly drained; the position is unfavorable on account of the lowness of the grounds, and during the rainy season parts of them are under water. Ventilation of the guard-rooms,—The ventilation of the guard-rooms is good, but that 'V^entiiation of of the lines is bad ; and, as the lines are situated on low grounds and surrounded by houses ^01^^* and streets densely populated, the air cannot be pure: the position of the lines render the drainage bad and insufficient: frequent correspondence has taken place on this subject, but without any result. Duty and exercises.—The duties hare not been over-severe; but, as the health of the Duty and corps has suffered much on foreign service, some of the men occasionally come into exercises, hospital from a state of exhaustion and fatigue from duty. Number of nights in bed 3-13. Drill.—The drills are usually morning and evening, and generally last an hour. The Drill, drills have had no unfavorable influence on the health of the men. Vaccination.—Vaccination has been regularly kept up in the corps ; ten cases of small- Vaccination, pox occuiTed ; most of these were of the modified type. One case of confluent small-pox proved fatal. All men of the corps who bore unsatisfactory marks of vaccination were revaccinated last year. None of the men were revaccinated this year. Hospital ventilation.—The defective ventilation of the hospital has been frequentlj' Hospital ven- represented to the authorities, but it still continues in the same state. tiiation. The hospital wards are occasionally overcrowded on account of the insufficiency of the accommodation. General conclusion.—The defective condition of the lines occupied by 37th Grenadiers General con- at Vepery has been sufficiently detailed in the replies of the various queries of this report. The health of the corps having suffered severely on foreign service, a great number of the men were in a weakly and anaemic state when they landed at this station from Burmah, and admissions into hospital from ague and general debility were of frequent occurrence, but during the past year the health of the corps has greatly improved, the climate of Madras has acted favorably on the men, and I have no doubt that a further stay of the corps in Madras will re-establish its health. 6