Liquors.
Clothing.
Foot-soreness.
Duty.
Drill.
Exercises.
Vaccination.
Epidemics.
Water-
supply.
Barracks—
Aberdeen.
Ross.
Sanitary con-
dition of all
buildings.
Quality of
rations.
Water-
supply.
Phthisis
pulmonalis.
Drainage and
latrines.
Hospital
ventilation.
Diet.
106
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Diet.— Provisions have been tolerably cheap and plentiful ; vegetables are scarce. Each
sepoy receives the following ration daily from the Commissariat :—
lb. oz. drs.
Rice
. .
..
..
. .
. .
..
. .
. .
2 0 0
Dholl
..
..
..
..
..
..
. .
.. 0 3 0
Ghee
..
..
..
. .
..
..
. .
.. 0 2 0
Tobacco
..
..
..
..
. .
..
..
.. 0 0 4
Tamarind ..
..
..
. .
. .
..
. .
. .
0 0 8
Chillies
..
. .
..
..
..
..
..
.. 0 1 4
Salt
. .
..
..
. .
. .
. .
..
.. 0 1 4
Turmeric ..
. .
..
..
. .
. .
. .
. .
0 0 2
The dieting has been sufficiently nutritious and varied to preserve health.
Liquors.—Each sepoy who desired it has been enabled by the recommendation of the
Medical Officer to purchase from 2 to 7 drams of rum per week from the Commissariat. The
rum is of good quality.
Clothing.—It has been sufficient and adapted to the climate.
Foot-soreness.—Several men were excused wearing boots for short periods owing to foot-
soreness.
Duty.—Guards and parades comprise the duties of the men. They have had no prejudicial
effect on the health of the men. The men have had 5 nights per week in bed.
Drill.—They have exercised no prejudicial effect on the health of the men, and no recom--
mendations have been made.
Exercises.—There are no provisions in the way of games or gymnastic exercises in this
station.
Vaccination.—The state of vaccination has been apparently good ; there have been no cases
of small-pox. There has been no revaccination practised in this station.
Epidemics.—Ague has prevailed to an enormous extent. I attribute its occurrence to the
use of tank water ; my arguments in favor of this view are much too lengthy to enter upon here.
I recommended that the use of this tank water should be discontinued, and well water used
instead. This has not been entirely carried out owing to the prejudices of the natives, who
state that they consider the tank water to be the best.
Phthisis pulmonalis.—The cases of phthisis pulmonalis that have come under my notice
have been constitutional. The cases of other chest diseases were trivial and probably due to
exposure.
Drainage and latrines.— Drainage, latrines, &c., have been satisfactory.
Hospital ventilation.—The Ross Hospital is very small, the accommodation has been quite
insufficient, many men having to be treated out of hospital, and others under canvas. This will
be shortly rectified when the new hospital of Aberdeen is handed over. The Viper Hospital is a
large building with ample accommodation and ventilation.
Water-supply.—The same supply and open to the same objections as the barracks.
Deputy Surgeon-General H. R. Oswald, M.D., inspected this corps on the 5th
March 1879, and reports as follows
:—
Barracks—Aberdeen.—The barracks here were not so clean as they should be. They are
washed out only once a month. There has been no change in their construction, ventilation, or
lighting since my last inspection report to which I beg to refer.
Ross.— These barracks were cleaner than those at Aberdeen ; there has been no change in
them either since last inspection report, dated 24th February 1878.
The sites both at Aberdeen and Ross are very favorable to drainage, and there are good
brick-drains round each barrack.
Sanitary condition of all buildings.— None of them were so clean as they should be, and the
drains in front of the cook-houses and of the latrines wanted flushing out. My visit was paid at
a very early hour of the morning and before the cleaning up for the day had been completed,
which perhaps may have made the barracks and other buildings, at Aberdeen at all events,
appear less tidy than they otherwise would have been. Excreta are removed to " South Point " ;
there are no cess-pools. The dry-earth system is not attempted. The latrines had not been
tarred for sometime.
Quality of rations. —The rations supplied by the Commissariat Department have been of
good quality. The means for producing variety are very scanty.
Water-supply.—From small tanks and wells. The occurrence of two cases of typhoid
fever (fatal) in Europeans in Ross and of another case at Aberdeen (not fatal), also a European,
has raised a suspicion as to the water-supply. The Chief Commissioner has, therefore, directed
samples of the water in use to be sent to Calcutta for analysis, and I have asked for a copy of
the report when it is received. In the meantime I have directed the Medical Officer specially