33
POONA DIVISION OF THE ARMY.
those already serving in the regiment. Whilst fully alive to the merits of the time-honoured
custom of giving a preference to those candidates for enlistment whose parents are or have
been soldiers, I am convinced that the practice, if persevered in much longer, must eventually
impair the physical efficiency of the native army. There are, no doubt, many advantages
attending extra-regimental enlistment; but, on the other hand, it has its disadvantages also;
and chiefest of these is the tendency it has to dwarf the stature of the regiment as a whole,
and, at the same time, create diversity of size and inequality of height; for it stands to reason
that the male offspring of, say, 400 men are not at all likely to compare well with recruits
selected from the flower of the youth of a province. Of course, height is comparatively un
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important; but, except for band purposes, I consider a minimum chest circumference of 32 inches
indispensable, even in growing boys.
2 0 . A s a n i n s t a n c e o f s p e c i a l t r e a t m e n t I m a y m e n t i o n t h e m a r k e d b e n e f i t w h i c h ,
after counter-irritants, stimulants, diaphoretics, and antispas
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modics had failed, accrued on the administration of 20 grains of
hydrate of chloral, with an ounce of brandy in a little water, in a case of asthma which had
assumed the gravest features. The dose was repeated several times on succeeding days, with
like effect, and eventually recovery took place, so far as that attack was concerned, and the man
continues well. A child 10 months of age was brought to hospital, supposed to have swal
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lowed at least 12 grains of opium, all the symptoms of opium-poisoning being present in a
marked degree. The stomach-pump was first used, but failed to act, being out of repair.
Mechanical irritation of the fauces produced vomiting, as did also emetics of mustard and
warm water frequently administered. Strong ammonia was held to the nose, and the child
at intervals shaken with more or less violence, but all apparently to no effect, for the stupor
passed irresistibly into coma, too profound to be even stertorous. These measures occupied
about two and a half hours. I now injected hypodermically ten ,minims of the strongest
solution of ammonia into the left arm, and repeated the injection, a quarter of an hour after
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wards, into the other; and then allowed the child to sleep undisturbed. I had recourse to
this treatment, in the hope that during sleep (which in itself facilitates perspiration) the
combined effect of the opium and ammonia would tend to unload the system of the former
drug by a drastic diaphoretic action, while the stimulating property of the latter would sus
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tain the vital powers, The result was all that could be desired.
21. After all deductions are made from the pay of a private in a native cavalry regiment,
some 6 rupees per mensem only remain for the maintenance of
himself and family. This pittance is barely enough to meet
his every-day wants, and when these are increased by the additional reel uirements of grave
sickness, the chances of recovery become remote. Fortunately, however, the same privilege
as regards hospital comforts that other corps enjoy has recently been extended to this, so
that the case is not so hard as it used to be. There being no commissariat staff at this sta
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tion, I asked and obtained, through the conjoint action of my immediate military and medical
superiors, the permission of the Commissary General to purchase in the bazaar such articles
as are necessary for the comfort and nourishment of the sick. This boon is very much appre
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ciated by the regiment. As regards the sanitary arrangements in use here, I strongly endores
Surgeon Gordon's recommendation, that instead of the sewage being allowed to touch t
h e
ground in the back court-yards, as at present, vessels of some sort should be used to contain
both liquids and solid matters, which would be emptied, morning and evening, into the night
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soil cart, thus obviating the possibility of the formation of cess-pools or even surface moisture.
The rules at present in force as regards the means to be adopted with a view to dispensing
with the services of a useless man, together with the present scale of service for pension,
which makes no difference as regards retiring allowance between those who have served only
15, and those who have served upwards of 30 years, are open to objections, too obvious for me
to stop to particularise. At present a man may be physically competent for the duties of a
soldier, but so stupid as to be worse than useless in the ranks, and yet, so long as his conduct
is blameless, the commanding officer has not the means of getting rid of him. Again, there
being no difference between the pension for a service of 15 and that of 30 years, those men
who have no prospects of promotion after completion of the lesser period, flock to the medical
officer for the purpose of being invalided. And thus the services of many of the most useful
men are yearly lost to Government. It must be understood that it is impossible for medical
boards to prevent this, it being a very easy matter to see that a man is ill, but by no means
so to declare him a malingerer.
The only other observation I have to make is, that I consider it undesirable that there
should be no accommodation for the 1st and 2nd class hospital servants, other than such
vacant huts as may happen to be available in the lines, and from which they are always liable
to ejection.
B
1 9 6 — 9
Special treatment.
Special observatious.