6
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
abundant supply of water was drawn—four west of the lines, one east of the lines, and one
just outside the hospital compound, about 20 yards distant.
5. The grain sold in the Poona as well as at the Ahmedabad market was very good
Food and clothing.
and equally cheap. There is no alteration in the sepoy's dress,
with the exception that when the Regiment started on the
Malta expedition, each sepoy was provided with a pair of white cloth gaiters.
6. The duties this year of the sepoy were, comparatively speaking, light, a sepoy at
Duties, exercise and amuse
ments ; their effects on health.
Poona being on guard duty once every five days, while at Malta
and Cyprus once every ten days, while at Ahmedabad once every
three or four days. The duties performed by the sepoys have
had no visible bad effect on their health. There is no recreation
for the sepoys besides the regimental gymnasium; a few seem to be well up in weaving,
sewing, carpenter's and blacksmith's work.
7. The hospital at Poona is situated about 400 yards from the lines and consists of
Hospital and its immediate
surroundings: present condition
and otherwise.
two separate buildings, one of which is thatched and contains
a large ward 96 feet long and 22 feet broad, and is well
adapted for the purpose required. The other hospital
building contains two small wards set aside for special cases,
and although well built, the ventilation is defective. The head subordinate's quarters and
the guard room are also thatched and in fair condition. There are two latrines attached to
the hospital, they are built of bamboo slips and have mud floors. As last year (although
special attention was called to this point) no provision has been made for keeping separate
the solid excreta from the urine, consequently the greatest difficulty is experienced in keeping
the latrines clean. The earthen pots intended to hold the urine often tumble down and so
tend to keep the floor always damp, which is most objectionable. The hospital has a
large and spacious compound. In Malta and Cyprus double pole Bengal tents were used
for the sick. The following were the dimensions of a single tent—height 10 feet, length 31
feet, breadth 18 feet. Each tent was supposed to accommodate about 50 men. In Malta
one such tent was used by the sick, in Cyprus two. At Ahmedabad the hospital is pucka
built and. tile roofed, it contains two fair sized wards with brick floor, also two small
rooms, one used as a dispensary, the other for office work, and in addition to these there
are still two smaller rooms, one used as a bath-room for the men, the other for sick women
and children. The ventilation of the hospital is fair and is chiefly carried out by ordinary
means, such as doors and windows placed opposite to each other ; there are also artificial
outlets in the roof of the building. There is one latrine for nine patients ; this is situated
behind the hospital, and is well away from all water supply. It is pucka built, tile roofed,
brick floor. These latrines were always kept very clean; there were separate receptacles
for urine and solid excreta. There is a large well situated just outside the hospital com-
pound, from which the patients receive a good and abundant supply of water. In my
opinion the hospital is too much surrounded by trees which in the very hot weather would
tend to stagnate the air and so make the hospital close, muggy, and unbearable to the
patients; otherwise there seems no complaint to be made of the hospital or its surroundings.
8. during the first four months of the year the health of the regiment was good. At
General health and physique.
Malta there was a good amount of sickness amongst the sepoys,
many of them being laid up with dysentery and scurvy. Very
few cases of fever, daily average of sick being 20. Scurvy cases were not admitted into hos
pital ; they were treated as outpatients. At Cyprus the daily average of sick in hospital
was 2.12, most of these being fever cases. There were only one or two cases of dysentery ;
no scurvy, this being due to the plentifulness as well as the cheapness of the fruit. On the
voyage from Bombay to Malta, the health of the sepoys was good, but on the return journey
from Cyprus to Bombay the health of the regiment was very bad, many of the men suffer-
ing from a severe form of fever which they had contracted. at Cyprus. Daily average of sick
in the hospital was 57.6. At Ahmedabad the health of the regiment showed marked signs
of improvement.
9. The dry climate of Poona and Ahmedabad seems to have agreed with the men, but
Influence of climate or local
circumstances on health.
from. the evident amount of sickness contracted at Malta and
Cyprus, especially the latter, these places did not suit th
e sepoy' s health.
10. The admissions from ague were 795, 446 more than the previous year. This great
increase appears to be entirely due to the immense number of
fever eases admitted into the hospital on the passage from Cynrus
Details of treated.
to Bombay, at this time the daily average of sick being 57.6. Small doses of quinine were
given to these patients ; this was combined with chiretta. No cinchonidine or cinchona