Health of the Army in India

Abstract

ACCORDING to the annual report for 1939 on the health of the Army in India, there were no serious epidemics during the year among British or Indian troops, although civilian areas in which troops were placed suffered from cholera, plague, small–pox, dysentery, malaria and enteric fever. The hospital admission–rate among British troops was as large as 666 per 1,000 of strength during the year, and was an increase on the rate for the previous year, but the death–rate of 2.75 per 1,000 and the invaliding–rate of 9.14 per 1,000 were lower. Among the Indian troops the death–rate was also down, but the hospital admission– and invaliding–rates were up. This increase, however, was undoubtedly due to the conditions of war service and the return or influx of large numbers of men potentially infected with malaria and other prevalent diseases. Malaria and dysentery held the first place in the list of principal causes of sickness among British officers, and were followed by cellulitis and catarrhal jaundice. Malaria also held the chief place among soldiers, and next came cellulitis, and a good way down tonsillitis; but dysentery came sixth and was only half as frequent as a cause of admission as malaria. The prevalence of dysenteric infections was found to be due to lack of sanitation surrounding the troops' area. Respiratory diseases were little in evidence, and there were no epidemics beyond minor outbreaks of mild influenza and pharyngitis. Nor was there any sign among the military population of the steady increase in tuberculosis which appeared to be occurring in the civilian population.