74992410.htm

MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.

NORTHERN DISTRICT.

Average strength	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	2,744
Do. do. present		..	..	..	..	..	..	2,606
Total admissions	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	2,107
Daily sick..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	85
Deaths in hospital	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	19
Do. out of hospital	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	15
Pensioned..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	97
Sick leave..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	24

The following return shows the rates of sickness, deaths, and invaliding, as
contrasted with previous years:—

Years.				Rate per Cent. of
				Average Strength Present.		Average Strength.
				Admissions.	Daily Sick.	All Deaths.	Pensioned.	Sick Leave.
1875..	..	..	..	95.85	4.36	1.30	2.72	2.51
1876..	..	..	..	89.22	3.73	1.51	2.43	2.23
1877..	..	..	..	84.71	3.81	1.16	3.71	2.29
Average			..	89.92	3.96	1.32	2.95	2.34
1878..	..	..	..	80.85	3.26	1.23	3.53	.87

The following corps were serving in the division on the 31st December 1878:—

2nd Regiment N.I., Head-Quarters and Right Wing.
2nd	do.	Left Wing.
7th	do.
12th	do.
17th	do.

Deputy Surgeon-General Colving Smith, M.D., held administrative medical charge
of this division during the year and reports as follows:—

Seasonal
phenomena.

I. Seasonal phenomena .—Extremes of temperature were experienced all over the district.
The rainfall during the north-east monsoon was excessive, giving rise to floods in the Vizaga-
patam District during a cyclone on 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th December. There was another storm
on the 5th November, but which did less damage. These cylones passed towards the south and
were severely felt in the Vizagapatam District. Near the port 30 sailors lost their life, there
being no life-preserving apparatus there. At Anakapalle and near Ellamanehilli many lives
were lost by the falling of houses or carried away by the floods. In three days 25 inches of rain
fell. The cyclones were felt severely to the north of Vizianagram and as far south as
Cocanada, where such storms have been seldom experienced.

Necessaries
of life.

II. Necessaries of life .—Owing to the effects of the late famine, prices ranged high during
the year, and after the floods of December they rose higher than they had been, but there was
no scarcity, and. prices are likely to fall after the harvest, which is expected to be an average one.

Strength of
troops.

III. Strength of troops .—There were 2,770 rank and file on the 31st December 1878,
composed of 1,551 Hindus, 1,010 Mahomedans, and 209 Christians. The average strength was
2,738.

Health of
troops.

IV. Health of troops .—There has been less sickness amongst the regiments in the district
as to admissions actually than there was in 1877, when 2,264 were treated compared with 2,121
in 1878, but there has been a great increase of treated in each of the regiments at present in
the district, compared to that of 1877, more especially in the 2nd Regiment stationed at Sumbul-
pur and Berhampore, where in 1877 there were 133.67 per cent. treated compared to 200.30
per cent. treated in 1878. The per cent of treated to strength in the 7th Regiment Native
Infantry is not so high as it was in the year 1876. The reduction in admissions during 1878,
compared to 1877, is caused by the removal of the 41st Regiment from the district and the
arrival of the 17th Regiment. In the former the percentage of treated to strength in 1877 was
164.31, while in the latter it was only 62.63 in 1878.

The death-rate has been a little higher than it was in 1877, having been 12.16 for that year
and 15.33 in 1878 per mine, due entirely to the increased number of deaths from bowel-
complaints, disease of lungs, and " skin diseases," which is much more than accounted for by
the death-rate of the garrison Vizagapatam, which was in 1877 only 1.14 per cent. compared to
7.03 deaths to average strength in 1878.