93
AHMEDNAGAr.
Judging from the admission rate from all causes, 1,154 6 per 1,000, and the
death rate, 8 62 per 1,000, during the 10 years, .1370—79, Ahmednagar is the
second healthiest station in the Bombay Presidency.
The daily sick rate, 48 9, is also low.
The Artillery Barracks are very fine buildings, and the men quartered in
them have been very healthy. The sanitary arrangements, generally speaking,
in these barracks are excellent.
The principal defects in the barracks now occupied by the Rifle Battalion,
and formerly by the Cavalry, are owing to faulty construction.
There are twelve barracks, and each one has under the same roof a wash
house which is only separated by a narrow passage from the barrack room. The
floor of this is paved, but of the twelve barracks, five show signs of damp in the
external wall of the plinth. There must be soakage under the floors of the
barracks. There are only two latrines, each containing twenty four seats. One
is 42 yards behind and to the south east of the rear barracks on the right flank;
the other is 80 yards behind and south by east of the left rear barrack, and it is
only about 20 yards north east of the hospital. It is badly ventilated, and the
smell in it, at the time of my visit, was very bad.
The patcherries are on the north by east of the barracks. They con-
tain about 80 rooms, 40 of which are now occupied by men of the Rifle Brigade.
The floors of most of these patcherries are paved, but some of them were cow
dunged until Surgeon Major Murtagh in charge of the Station Hospital wrote
to the Officer Commanding on the subject, since which time they have been clay
washed ; but as the plinths are very low, the earthen floors should be dug out for
a certain depth and covered with concrete.
The following remarks by Dr. Murtagh regarding enteric fever are very
valuable :—
"I believe that the foaling of the water through the breach in the Sháhápur aqueduct
was the cause of the enteric fever in the commencement of 1883. The breach was
about 50 yards from the public road, and was of such extent and kind that it made a
capital place for washing clothes and bathing in, and from my knowledge and experience of
the native character I have no doubt but that it was used for these purposes by travellers.
I could not find that any enteric fever had occurred in the houses near, but the corpse of a
man was found a little way off about the time of the first occurrence of typhoid in camp. I
could not get the exact date. The Rifle Brigade only used the water from this aqueduct
and they only got enteric fever. The Royal Artillery used other water (Bhingar aqueduct)
and no case of enteric fever nor any fever like it occurred amongst them. The admissions
for enteric fever ceased soon after the breach was closed. It is possible that the clothes of
typhoid patients were washed in the Sháhápur aqueduct."
The disease statistics since 1877 are given below :—
Period—Six years, 1877—82.
Artillery
Infantry
Cholera.
A.
0 0
1 8
D.
0 0
12
Enteric
Fever.
A.
1 6
4 3
D.
0 0
1 8
Other Fevers.
A.
227 6
813 2
D.
1 6
1 2
Dysentery.
A.
24 0
69 8
D.
4 8
3 0
Diarrhœa.
A.
60 9
53 3
D.
1 6
0 0
All Causes.
A.
1,073 7
1,967 5
D.
11 2
16 5
The much higher rate among the Infantry is most marked and I attribute
it to the insanitary condition of their barracks. This is much to be regretted.
The present wash houses should in my opinion be at once removed and detached
lavatories be built for the men, and the damp floors should be dug up and the
damp earth removed and a layer of Portland cement concrete substituted.
I have stated under water supply the action I think necessary regarding
the aqueducts, but I would also mention that at the Artillery Barracks there is
a system of lower and upper cisterns and distributing pipes for each barrack.
This is an excellent arrangement, but it should be carried a little further, as I
learn from the Executive Engineer, Mr. Pottinger, that the Bhingar aqueduct
is only 4 or 5 feet below the surface ; and he makes the very practical suggestion
"that the lower cisterns should be deepened and connected direct with the
aqueduct and then covered over so that the water could practically be pumped
direct from the aqueduct to the upper cisterns".
The same arrangements could be carried out for the Infantry, and its ad-
vantages are so manifest, as it would do away with the danger of the musucks
as well as save the cost of the maintenance of the Bhisties, that I hope Govern-
ment may be pleased to sanction it,
B 357—24