118
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Water-
supply.
Conservancy.
authorized space is 231 men, and at Ross with 8 corner rooms for officers not mentioned
above, 136 men. Total accommodation at Ross and Aberdeen at regulated space for 367 men.
I observed however that in all the barracks at Aberdeen a board had been placed fixing the
space per man at 50 square feet. If this scale is adopted there is room for about 61 men
more, or about 428. The drainage round all the barracks both at Ross and Aberdeen is effected
by good brick drains, and the site is highly favorable for this purpose.
Water-supply from tanks and wells, and of good quality. Several new wells have been sunk
at Aberdeen. I cautioned the Medical officers against the use of the tank water at Aberdeen
as it is collected from the surface drainage of surrounding hills which are covered at present
with decaying vegetable matter in consequence of the clearing of the jungle.
Conservancy of Ross is good, great attention being paid to the removal of all filth and
rubbish ; the same may be said of " Aberdeen ; " much has been done in the way of drainage and
clearing of the jungle from surrounding hills ; in fact I am inclined to think it would have
been better had some of the large forest trees been allowed to remain, but every thing has
been swept away, not a tree left standing. I consider, and informed the Medical officer and
Commanding officer that further drainage at Aberdeen is still required. The whole site of the
station should be thoroughly and systematically subsoil drained like wet lands in England.
Fever from which the troops have suffered so much reaches its maximum in the month of
July, when the soil which is a stiff retentive clay has become thoroughly saturated with water.
I think it is reasonable to attribute the unhealthiness of Aberdeen in a great measure to the
excessive dampness of the site. Ross which is a dry site is healthy ; all the islands appear
healthy, while the mainland is unhealthy, the climatic conditions of islands and mainland being
exactly alike. The "Phœnix Bay" and swamps to north of Aberdeen still exist ; nothing has
been done to remove them ; they are supposed to contribute to the unhealthiness of Aberdeen.
Hospital.
Principal
diseases.
Hospital (Ross).—The hospital was clean and in good order. It is well ventilated by
2 doors, each 9' 11" x 4' 11", and two others 8' 11"x 4' 5" ; there are also 10 windows 3'11"x 3' 5'
each, with cave and ridge ventilation.
Water is obtained from the tank and wells, and is of good quality.
(Aberdeen ).—The hospital here has only just been commenced, but it will be ready by May it
is said. It promises to be a fine building judging from the plans, and will consist of two wards
50' x 20' each and one 60' x 20'. The floor of the wards will be raised 8 feet from the ground.
The site however did not appear to me to have been very well selected. It has been made by a
cutting 10 feet deep on the south side of a hill, so that the floor of the wards will be two feet
below the top of the cutting, and I am afraid it will prove damp unless the top of the bill is
removed, which I was informed would be done.
Principal diseases.—Ague has given rise to over 50 per cent. of the total admissions, and
it is said to occur especially in those men who have been to the Nicobars. I noticed
however that the stay of patients in hospital from this cause is not of long duration. In a few
of the men I had an opportunity of examining on going through the barracks I found the
spleen enlarged, but not to the extent I had been led to expect by the Medical officer's report
made in answer to an inquiry on this point which I had directed him to make ; neither did they
present an appearance of malarious cachexia to any great extent, and on the whole contrasted
favorably with the men of the 23rd Regiment just arrived from Bangalore.
STATION—TONGHOO.
Arrived from Madras on the 6th March 1875.
Average strength
...
...
...
...
...
...
. . . 656
Do. do. present
...
...
...
. . .
. . .
. . . 656
Admissions
...
...
...
...
...
...
... . . . 616
Daily sick
...
...
...
...
. . .
. . .
...
. . .
15
Deaths in hospital ...
...
...
...
...
...
... . . .
Do. out of do.
... . . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
10
Pensioned
...
...
...
...
...
... . . .
. . .
11
Sick leave
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
. . .
46
The following return shows the rates of sickness, deaths, and invaliding as
contrasted with previous years :—