126
Climate.
Natural fea
-tures.
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
There has been very little sickness amongst the officers. The severest illness was that
of Assistant Surgeon Hanks, who was thrown from his pony on 24th ultimo and sustained
concussion of the brain, rendering him still, 10th January, unfit to complete this report.
1 0 t h R e g i m e n t M . A . I .
This corps arrived in Tonghoo from Dorundah in January and February
1872. Assistant Surgeon W. Price, M.D., who was in medical charge during
the year, reports as follows:—
Climate .—January, February, November, and December were the four cold months;
during these months the mornings were cold and heavy fogs were frequent, especially in
January and December, but during the day the sun was very hot. These changes seem to
occasion catarrhs, slight fevers, and occasionally diarrhœa. March, April, and May were the
three hottest months. There were a few slight showers in the latter end of April, and fre
-quent showers during May, which assisted in cooling the atmosphere. These months seem to
have been very healthy. The rains set in in the beginning of June and lasted through July,
August, September, and the first half of October: there were also a few showers in the latter
half of the month, and two showers in November. During the rains dysenteries, diarrhœa,
and fevers were frequent.
Natural features.—Tonghoo is situated on the western bank of the Sittang river and
close to the Burmese town of Tonghoo, which lies to the north and north-west of the
cantonment. The country around is a plain slightly lower than the site on which the town
and cantonment are built, and during the rainy season is almost a complete marsh. At a dis
-tance of about 20 miles to the north-east there is a range of hills, and about 60 miles to the
south-west another range. Rice and fruits seem to be the chief productions of the district.
Medical topo
-graphy.
March.
Medical topography.— The country in the immediate vicinity is a plain drained by the
river Sittang and its tributaries. The open ground is mostly under rice cultivation, which is
carried on in a very primitive manner; the remainder is low shrub jungle with a few trees
interspread here and there at some distance from the cantonments. There are large forests.
The chief diseases are intermittent and remittent fever, dysentery, and diarrhœa; conjunc
-tivitis is also very common among the children of Burmese. I have seen a few cases of
beri-beri among the natives of India.
March.—The head-quarters and left half the battalion marched from Rangoon on the 8th
January and arrived in this station on the 31st January.
The right half-battalion left Dorundah on the 2nd January, arrived in Calcutta 14th
January, was on ship board from the 16th to 20th January, halted in Rangoon from the 20th
January until 15th F ebruary, when it left for Tonghoo by road, and arrived here on the 28th
February.
The barracks are built in two rows, each row running nearly due north and south: the
ground on which they are built slopes away rapidly to the south and west. The jungle in this
direction forms a swamp during the rainy months, but the barracks being built on ground
some 13 or 15 feet higher than the swamp, the position appears to be healthy. The barrack
-rooms are built entirely of wood, are raised six and a half feet from the ground the; windows
and doors are numerous, the rooms lofty, and general construction such as to be conducive
to health.
Ventilation
and drainage.
Nuisance.
Water-supply.
Ventilation and drainage .—In the men's barrack-rooms the means of ventilation are
good; in each room there are eight doors, each six feet nine inches in height and three feet
eleven inches in breadth, and thirty-two windows, each three feet three inches in height and
three feet in breadth; besides these there are special means of ventilation in the ridge and also
on a level with the floor, where there are boards to be lifted up or let down as the direction and
temperature of the wind may require. In the guard-room the ventilation is similar to that
in the barrack-rooms.
The surface drainage is sufficient and good owing to the great slope of the ground to
the south and west.
Nuisance.—There has been no nuisance during the year. The regimental latrine is
supposed to be conducted on the dry-earth system, but, owing to the faulty construction of
the latrine (the floor being of brick with a drain to carry off the urine and water used by
the sepoys to a small tank whenever it is removed, instead of being at once soaked up with
dry earth as it ought to be) and the objection of the sepoys to use the dry earth placed
ready for their use, the attempt is only partially successful; however the fæces are removed
twice daily, and the latrine has consequently not caused any nuisance during the year.
Water-supply .—There are four wells near the native barracks. The water-supply has
been abundant and good during the year. The only recommendation made was that one of
the wells should be set aside for bathing purposes, and the sepoys prohibited from bathing
at any of the other wells. This was done.