MILITARY DEPARTMENT, 13TH OCTOBER 1880, No. 6462.
MYSORE CIRCLE.
Deputy Surgeon-General C. D. MADDEN, P. M. O.
Military Corn-
mands.
Station.
British Troops.
Mysore Divi-
sion.
Bangalore . . .
14th Hussars.
B/B Royal Horse Artillery.
K/6th, Royal Artillery.
D/6th,
do.
Detachment 67th Re giment.
Malabar
and
Canara.
Do.
2/13th do.
Wellington
... Convalescent Depôt.
Cannanore
... 48th Regiment.
Calicut . . .
Detachment 48th Regiment.
Malapuram
Do.
do.
BANGALORE.
A regiment of Cavalry, three batteries of Royal Artillery, part of a regiment and a detach
- m e n t o f I n f a n t r y w e r e s t a t i o n e d a t B a n g a l o r e . T h e c a n t o n m e n t o c c u p i e s a l a r g e e x t e n t o f
ground ; in general features the barracks and accessory accommodation for every corps are very
similar. In the sanitary reports received, no exception is taken by any one of the medical officers
to the lodging, food, clothing, duties, &c., &c., of the men ; the various barracks are said to be
spacious, well ventilated and clean, their environs in good order, the latrine accommodation—
on the dry earth system—is said to be good, and the conservancy is not badly reported of,
though one medical officer recommends the adoption of a particular kind of cart, in lieu of the
one in present use, as being likely to prevent offensive smell in the removal of the soil from the
barracks to the place it is finally disposed of. No distinctly-stated objection is made to the
water, which is mainly that procured mediately or directly from the Ulsoor tank ; possibly
objection may be conveyed, in the words employed by one medical officer " it is said to be pure,"
but probably this expresses mistrust engendered rather by a consideration of the fact that the
Ulsoor tank receives in abundance polluting matters of the most loathsome kind, than a suspi
-cion that sickness had an origin in its use. The rations served to the men were good, and the
cooking is reported to have been satisfactory. The duties were not severe, and the men had all
reasonable means of amusement and recreation. No epidemic sickness extended to the troops
from the native community. The exceeding prevalence of venereal disease was the cause of
much ineffectiveness ; there were 449 admissions into hospital for it (for all forms of the disease
together) for every thousand men in the garrison. The remedy proposed by the medical
officers usually is increased extension and increased stringency in the working of the Conta-
- g i o u s D i s e a s e s A c t — i n m y j u d g m e n t , a r e m e d y b o t h i m p r a c t i c a b l e a n d u n l i k e l y t o b e e f f e c t u a l .
Enteric fever—a disease which we must regard as one greatly controllable by suitable sanitary
measures—was present in several of the barracks at Bangalore, but in view of notices such as the
following, which occur in the same sanitary report, it is idle to speculate on the extent to which
it prevailed:—" No case of cholera or of enteric fever occurred during the year ;" a little lower
down, it is stated—" The symptoms and post-mortem appearances resembled those of enteric
fever."
CANNANORE.
Was occupied by a regiment of Infantry. The cantonment is laid out on the north-west
arm of the bay ; the Infantry barrack is built on a cliff overlooking the sea, the site is levelled
and well drained ; the buildings in which the men are lodged are arranged in a square, they
consist of two sets, the old and the new. The old blocks contain one long central room having
a verandah on one side only. The new blocks placed on the east side of the square contain each
one central room and four smaller rooms for non-commissioned officers at each end ; they have
enclosed verandahs at each side.
Barracks .—Ventilation is obtained by the numerous doors and windows, by swing windows
in the upper part of the walls and by roof openings.
Guard Room .—The guard room gave a cubic space of 1,400 feet per man.
Ablution Rooms .—The ablution rooms are said to be too small for the number of men ; there
is a good plunge bath and there were bathing parades twice a-week in the hot weather and once
in the cool weather.
Cook Houses.—The means and appliances for cooking are the native kinds.
Latrines. —The latrines are on the dry-earth system, the conservancy was well carried out.
The urinals are iron cylinders with perforated basins filled with pieces of charcoal.
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