NORTHERN DIVISION OF THE ARMY.
49
3. The conservancy of the lines is very good, and they are always kept scrupulously
clean. The only fault in the conservancy is the latrines, which,
however, are to be given up shortly; they are old brick-work
buildings, and have become saturated with the urine which the men pass at the side of the
pans and then allow to dribble out behind. It is impossible now to keep these sweet and free
from smell, and more than once they have been a source of annoyance when there has been a
high wind, they being placed to windward of the lines on the other side of the parade
ground.
4. All the water used is obtained from wells, of which there is one between each line;
one near the hospital compound, and one between two of the
officers' bungalows. The water is of good quality.
5. The men have plenty of good food, obtainable from the bazaar at moderate rates; for,
though it is not as cheap as it was, they receive compensation,
so have no reason to deprive themselves of it. They often
obtain flesh, either buying it from shikarees bringing it in, or sometimes killing it themselves,
of which opportunity they are always eager to avail themselves.
The clothing is good. Besides the Government clothing of uniform and great coat, they
have their own undress clothing and good English blankets, which they have obtained for
themselves. Every man, too, is ordered to obtain a cot, so that he should not sleep on the
damp ground.
6. The duties of the men are light, but besides their regimental work, they furnish a
guard to the jail here. Of late they have had rather more work
owing to the drill season and musketry firing; they, however,
take great interest in the latter, having fired off no less than
16,317 rounds at their own expense before the annual course began. The price of the
ammunition, being obtained from the Regimental Rifle Association, was only one arena per
four rounds.
There is no gymnasium, but the men gladly join any excursion to beat for large or small
game; they also work in the sepoys' garden.
7. The hospital, situated in the north-east corner of camp, is a double-sloping tiled-roof
building, with covered verandah on each side, and two small
rooms at each end, used respectively as office, dispensary, store-
-room, and spare room. The hospital is , capable of accommo-
dating twenty patients, with five feet space between each bed,
and both it and the subsidiary buildings are in good repair, except the post-mortem house,
which is very bad. The hospital is on a rising piece of ground, in the best spot in camp,
and has open maidan all round.
8. The general health and physique of the wing altogether is good, though the men
have suffered a good deal from fever, especially those who have
come from Mehidpur. Several of the recruits who were
transferred suffered badly from fever and splenitis, which consequently greatly weakened their
constitution.
9. Augar is, I believe, a very healthy place for India, the heat is not excessive; there is
a moderate rainfall; it is 1,600 feet above the sea level, and a
good dry ferruginous soil, so that the men are under no
injurious influence of climate whilst here, nor are there any
local circumstances affecting their health beyond the risk of living near a dirty native city.
This year, however, they have been free from any evil influence from that direction.
10. All the cases of fever have been treated at first with the Government cinchona
febrifuge, grains ten to fifteen doses, and occasionally in larger
doses. This was found sufficient in the mildest cases, but others
required small doses of quinine, grains five to ten; large doses of grains twenty to thirty were
given in one obstinate case; others, when the cinchona febrifuge failed, were given liquor
arsenicalis, minims ten dose, carefully watched. This was very successful, though, like the
other, it occasionally failed. For dysentery, rest, opium, ipecacuanha, grains twenty to thirty,
fomentations, and sometimes brandy were used.
The cases of guinea-worm were poulticed, and attempts carefully made every day to
extract them; two, however, after exciting abscesses disappeared and were not extracted.
Salicylic acid, grains fifteen dose, was used for a mild case of acute rheumatism. There were
no other cases of importance.
M
Conservancy.
Water-supply.
Food and clothing.
Duties, exercise, amusements;
their effects on health.
Hospital and its immediate
surroundings; present condition,
hygienic or otherwise.
General health and physique.
Influence of climate or local
circumstances on health.
Details of treated.