Water
-supply.
Sanitary
arrangement
Diet.
Clothing.
Foot-soreness.
Duty and
exercises.
Vaccination.
Epidemic
diseases.
Ventilation
of the hospi-
tal.
Hospital
water-supply.
General
conclusions.
108
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Ventilation
and drainage
for the men's
barrack
-rooms, huts,
&c.
Any nuisance.
Ventilation and drainage for the men's barrack-rooms, huts, &c.— The ventilation has been
sufficient and is effected by means of doors and windows in addition to roof ventilators. The
drainage is chiefly natural and the storm-water collects in places in the barrack yards and.
percolates through the soil. I recommended that slush tubs should be provided for the cook
-rooms in previous reports as the men are in the habit of throwing the liquid refuse outside the
doors which sinks into and tends to contaminate the soil. My recommendation has not been as
yet attended to. The walls have been only limewashed once during the year.
Any nuisance.— The latrines have been kept well tarred and the cleanliness of the surround--
ing surface has been carefully attended to. It is found impossible to keep them free from smell
owing to their faulty construction. Two new latrines which were constructed some 16 months
since have been condemned as utterly unsuited and their defects pointed out in last year's report,
but they still remain in the same state and have not yet been handed over to the regiment for
use. The wood-work of the old latrine buildings is decayed and in many places saturated with
excreta; nothing less than complete removal and the construction of new ones can lessen this
evil.
Water-supply.— The water-supply is obtained from wells on close vicinity to the barracks.
The wells are constructed of masonry. The water has been good and sufficient in quantity.
Sanitary arrangement.— The sanitation of the buildings and neighbourhood has been
attended to. There are no local causes of disease requiring removal except it may be the
latrines.
Diet. —Provisions are always excessively dear in this station. Vegetables are abundant, but
dear. As pointed out in my last year's report I consider the ration, though good of its kind,
does not contain enough nitrogenous elements to preserve the men in a state of health, and I
have recommended on several occasions that meat, such as mutton or fowl, should be given two or
three times a week. Many of the men have lately presented an anæmic appearance, and this
condition, together with debility, disinclination for exertion, œdema of the tissues, and other
symptoms resembling those of beri-beri, have seemed to me to be in many instances due to
insufficient supply of nutritive food. Either the duties of the men must be greatly lessened, or a
sufficient supply of animal food added to the ration, else the daily number of sick and the annual
amount of invaliding will always compare unfavorably with other stations in Burmah. The
supply of vegetables has not been sufficiently raised.
Clothing.—The clothing has been sufficient and adapted to the climate. It is changed
according to the season.
Foot-soreness.— A good deal of foot-soreness has prevailed, probably due to badly made
boots combined with the effects of the climate in hardening and shrinking the leather. It would
be desirable if the men were provided with socks.
Duty and exercises.—The guard duties must be put down as excessive and very prejudicial
to the health of the men.
The average number of nights per week in bed have been 3-20.
Drill.
Drill.—Morning parades take place on an average three times a week and last from 6 till
7 or 7½. In addition to this, Adjutant's drill and occasional evening drills make up the round of
drills. The drills of themselves are not prejudicial to health, but when taken together with the
guard duties they must be pronounced prejudicial to the men's health on the whole. I
recommended in my last year's report that drills should take place less frequently, and that it
should commence later in the morning, say 6-30.
Vaccination.— All the men have been vaccinated. No cases revaccinated.
Epidemic diseases.— Intermittent fevers, diarrhœa, and dysentery have prevailed. The
cases of ague and dysentery were as a rule mild and submitted readily to the ordinary methods
of treatment. There has been no cholera.
Ventilation of the hospital.—The ventilation is effected by means of doors and windows.
The hospital is always full and several patients have to be treated on the ground floor, where
they are exposed during the rainy season to cold draughts and damp. I have in last year's
report recommended that a new hospital affording much more accommodation should be built.
There are no Hospital Assistant's quarters. The store-rooms and compounding-room are quite
inadequate. The whole building swarms with rats, and the wood-work is generally decayed.
Water collects in the hospital compound during the rainy season. The drainage is chiefly
natural. The latrines are kept clean.
Hospital water-supply.—The hospital is supplied with water from the barrack wells. It
has been of very fair quality and a sufficiency has been provided.
General conclusions.— There has been a considerable improvement on the whole in the
health of the men as compared with last year. This is to be attributed probably to their having
got more seasoned to the climate and possibly to their not having had so frequent parades
and drills as during the previous year. General debility has been the cause of a great deal of
inefficiency.