Water-supply
Sanitary
arrangements
Diet.
Foot soreness.
Duty.
Drill:
Vaccination.
Epidemic.
Hospital
ventilation.
Hospital
drainage.
72
MEDICAL, AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Climate of
the station.
Ventilation
and drainage
of the men's
huts, &c.
Climate of the station.— The monsoon was an average one, and the rainfall more equable
than in the previous year. The men of the regiment have become pretty well acclimatised as
shown by the great decrease in the number of admissions into hospital.
Ventilation and drainage of the men's huts, &c. —The natural drainage of the lines is good,
could not be better in fact, as there is a good slope from all sides towards the hollow referred
to in paragraph 3, but no attempt has been made to build pucka drains, the expenses of building
them being, I believe, the only objection.
Nuisance.
Nuisance.— No nuisance existed which has not been removed.
Water-supply from wells good, and in sufficient quantity.
Sanitary arrangements.— The sanitary arrangements in the fort have been good ; those of
the lines good also, with the exception of the want above referred to, viz., of good brick and
chunam drains.
Diet .—Government sent a quantity of rice from Cannanore which was of superior quality
to that obtainable here, but was sold at the same rate.
Clothing.
Clothing.—Sufficient.
Foot soreness .—Abscess in the heel has been somewhat common amongst the men during
the year ; blistered feet also, produced by hard or badly-made boots.
Duty .—These were of the usual nature, and produced no ill effect. Average number of
nights in bed 5.32.
Drill .—See last reply.
Vaccination has been carried out amongst the children. No sepoys were vaccinated during
the year.
Epidemic .—Cholera prevailed to a considerable extent in Mercara and throughout the
province of Coorg amongst the civil population, but no case occurred in the lines. The preva
-lent diseases during the year were dysentery, diarrhœa, and ague, mostly of a mild type.
Hospital
ventilation satisfactory. No overcrowding.
Hospital drainage.
—Dry-earth sewage carried out; surface drainage sufficient.
Hospital
water-supply.
General
conclusions.
Sanitary
condition.
Sanitary
condition of
latrines.
Hospital water-supply.—Water for hospital use is obtained from a well in the lines, and is
of good quality.
General conclusions.— The great majority of the men are in good health and strength, and
now that they have become accustomed to the climate, suffer very little from disease. Those
who apply for treatment in hospital are usually either newly-joined recruits who are not accli
-matised, or old sepoys who are pretty well broken down. Of these latter, diseases in a number of
cases are owing to the want of a sufficiency of good food with which they are unable to provide
themselves owing to the dearness of the place and their large families.
Deputy Surgeon-General P. G. FitzGerald, M.D., inspected this corps on the
19th November 1877 and reports as follows :—
Sanitary
condition.— Altogether the men are now comfortably housed, and they show in
their improved appearance that they are well taken care of, and that the climate agrees with
them; this is still further illustrated by the diminished sickness and mortality of the last year as
compared with previous years.
Sanitary condition of latrines.— The regimental latrines are just as they were described in
last year's report ; merely square enclosures open to the sky which are cleaned out twice a day.
Conservancy.
Hospital.
Conservancy.—With regard to the neighborhood of the lines, there is room for improvement ;
the Gowly village close to the lines, so often mentioned only to be condemned in former
reports, still exists and defies all sanitary laws. The pensioners' lines to the west of those of the
right wing are also difficult to keep clean in consequence of the coffee cultivation around the
huts, and the thick Lantana hedges with which they are enclosed. Above the left wing lines
at the other side of the parade ground there is a gorge to the south of the elephant pit which
seems to be used as a public latrine, and from which the effluvium is sickening, especially when
the wind blows up the gorge from the valley below. This place is covered with low brushwood
affording convenient cover for nuisance.
Hospital.—The ventilation is good, but the space under the boarded floor is not ventilated
at all. It might be connected with the outer air by means of short pipes protected by perforated
plates of zinc or tin, which would improve the atmosphere of the wards at present liable to be
contaminated by exhalations from the soil under the boarded floor. The hospital latrine
requires more light.