103

ROHILCUND DIVISION.

Sickness,
mortality and
invaliding.

XV. Sickness, mortality, and invaliding. —strength of the regiment.

Mortality.

      XVII. Principal causes of mortality.— One case of pneumonia in a weakly, debilitated
subject; one of diarrhœa.

Epidemics.

      XVII.Epidemics.— No epidemics in the regiment.

Vaccination.

      XIX.Vaccination.— All the recruits have been vaccinated, and several in the bazar.
The duffadars who were taught the minor branches of surgery, such as bandaging, putting-
up fractures, &c., &c., still retain their knowledge.

Remarks.

      XXI. Remarks.— I desire to record the phenomenon of the epidemic of cholera at Bareilly
during last autumn, as it is interesting and, I think, instructing. In the month of July of the
year under review, cholera was reported in some of the contiguous villages to the south-west of
Bareilly, Tilliah, and Mohunpore. I went out to inspect them, and found them in a very
insanitary condition, which was reported to the Civil authorities, and, at my request, a cordon.
sanitaire was established between cantonments and the military lines. However, surreptitious
intercommunication took place between the sudder bazar and these villages, despite all the
precautions we could adopt. Eventually the sudder bazar became affected with the fatal
disease; and two, three and four cases were fatal for several days from the 10th to 19th
July and up to 28th August 1876. The sudder bazar was placed in strict quarantine, and all
precautions taken. Sulphur fires were burnt, but not in accordance with the plan re-
commended by me. I inspected the fires several times, and consider that sufficient sulphurous
acid was not evolved to permeate the atmosphere. The consequence was, that the disease
did not so rapidly subside as I had observed before under the influence of the sulphur fires;
but it did decline after five or six days, and did not make its appearance again. It is a
pity that the burning of sulphur fires is not more generally accepted by the profession, as,
irrespective of my own experience on the subject, several collateral instances of its efficacy
in arresting and stamping out the disease are on record. There is one further point to which
I would wish to advert—that is, the apparent aerial communication of the disease. The
villages were to windward of the sudder bazar, and when the wind veered, it came directly
from over the city of Bareilly, where cholera was rife also. There was no cholera in the
sudder or any part of cantonment till it was spread from the adjacent villages or city. This
is a significant fact, and I think demands consideration. Of course, it is impossible to say
whether the disease was propagated or extended by traffic communication or atmospheric
agency; but every precaution was adopted to obviate the former by the means already stated.
The latter influence was, however, impossible to combat. It is a curious fact, also, that two
syces were attacked in my own compound, which was close to the sudder bazar, and died
from the disease.

Inspection,

      Inspection .—Dr. J. P. Walker, Deputy Surgeon-General of the Allahabad
Circle, made his annual inspection of the hospital, lines, &c.; of this regiment
on the 15th January 1877. He reports that the conservancy of the lines and
hospital was satisfactory. The construction of new lines was about to be
commenced. Dr. Walker inspected all the men off duty, and reports that lie
considered them to be of excellent physique and in good condition. The
recruits, too, were found to have been judiciously selected. All the hospital
equipment was in a satisfactory condition, and the treatment of the sick, both
general and therapeutic, was judiciously and carefully attended to.