77
Sanitarium shows that two men of the 2/15th Regiment were in hospital in August 1878 with
the disease. In the Abu Lawrence School which contains about 75 children of ages vary-
ing from 16 to 4 years, no case has occurred since 1873, In that year two children were
attacked by a prolonged fever with diarrhœa which was probably enteric though not recog-
nized as such. In that year also a lady suffered from the disease. The house in which
she lived lies quite in a different direction to the houses in which the persons lived who
were attacked this year. I can learn no further particulars than that she was a young
married lady who recovered after being ill for some weeks. But though no cases are re-
corded as having occurred during the last 2 or 3 years, it does not follow that the disease
was entirely absent, as it is possible that natives may have been affected without this
coming to the notice of the medical officers. Certainly I saw a case in October last year
which occurred in a flesh eating Khallasee. Every care was taken to render the evacua-
tions innocuous. Enquiries made in the bazar have however failed to establish that any
other natives during last year or this year have suffered from the disease. The bázár is so
small that enquiries of this nature are more easily made than might at first sight appear
possible. I do not, of course, mean to assert that no case, in addition to those mentioned,
did occur, but I feel confident that if the disease had prevailed during the last 2 or 3 years
in anything like an epidemic form I should have heard of it.
Water supply.
It will be noticed that four out of the five patients drank water from the same well, the
catehment area of this well is cleaner than that of most of the other wells. At least 5 or 6
other families also used this water without any bad effect. Many of the members were
young, but in one member only were the conditions of youth and recent arrival from Eng-
land combined. The water was filtered fairly well in all the households, but the family
living in house No. 4 had the water boiled and twice filtered before using it ; in houses Nos. 2
and 3 it was twice filtered. The Pársi family used an ordinary earthenware English filter.
Filtration, however, unless closely supervised as to details, instead of preventing disease may
become a source of danger. It is to be noted that the two wells which supplied the four
households with drinking water were very low when the disease appeared, so low that water
was only obtained from them once a day with difficulty. The buckets of the bhistees when
lowered into this shallow water must have disturbed the sediment, which no doubt was
drawn up with the water. The club well up to the last is said to have afforded about 2 feet
of water in the early morning, when a rush was made at it by the bhistees to save themselves
the trouble of going to another well, a little further off. As already stated the 'Telegraph'
well became dry about the 1st or 2nd of June.
Food.
It will be observed that 4 out of 5 patients ate bread supplied by one baker from one
shop. Careful enquiries have been made not only regarding the health and general sanita-
tion of the baker's household, but also the investigation has been further carried into the
houses of the coolies employed in preparing the flour from which the bread is made. No-
thing bearing on the subject has, I regret to say, come to light. It must be remembered thae
this baker supplies nearly all the families on Abu. The circumstances connected with tht
supply of other articles of food and drink have also been closely enquired into but no informa-
tion of value has been elicited. If milk were in fault, it is reasonable to suppose that
children as the largest consumers would have been most affected. This has not been the
case. The one sodawater maker supplied all the families on the hill, but only three habitual
drinkers of it were attacked, although amongst the drinkers were four persons who by
reason of their age and recent arrival from Europe were in a position as regards proneness to
the disease similar to those who suffered from it. Again every household but one obtains
vegetables from the public garden. No connection with the disease is to be traced to the
meat supply.
Heat.
Two out of the four Europeans attacked passed their first hot season in India at Abu,
having arrived in the country at the end of 1881. One patient spent her first hot season at
Simla in 1881 and the second at Abu in 1882. Mrs.
passed her first hot season
at Morar in 1877 and remained there till the middle of May 1878, when she went to Mus
sooree. She proceeded to England in December 1878 and returned to India in October
1881. The summer of 1882 spent at Abu was therefore the first that had been passed in
India since 1878.
The returns* annexed show the readings of the thermometer. The cool breeze which
blew both day and night made the season a particularly and exceptionally pleasant one.
The facts given above bearing on the heat theory will be more usefully commented on when
joined with those gleaned from a larger field of experience.
Insanitary Conditions.
There is no doubt the conservancy arrangements as to latrines, &c., were inadequate to
the number of visitors, which this year was largely increased owing to railway communica
tion being completed. The question has been taken up and before next season a more exteu
sive and effective sanitary system will be in force. How much or to what extent the incidence
*Not forwarded.—T. G. H.
B 357—20