The water-supply sources
and quality—tanks, and one
shallow well for Europeans,
to supply the whole station.
Prevailing Diseases of
troops and of the civil po-
pulation.
72
SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
State of hospital buildings as last year continues unsuitable, and its sanitary deficiencies
considerable. Originally a pendal, it has no verandahs and but little accommodation, and is
utterly insufficient to meet the requirements of the place, which are those of garrison staff and
details and general hospital in which the sick of all classes, ages, and sexes, are alike treated.
A tent or some adjacent pendals have to be indented for annually to supply the required ac-
commodation, not only for the military section of the community, but also for four or fivefold
that number of police, native officials, workpeople, &c., employed on Government and other
works, who come under constant treatment, and for whom no provision has as yet been made.
The present staff hospital has neither cook, bath, ablution, or wash houses of any kind, and the
sick in severe cold or trying weather, lasting for four or five months in the year, have not fre-
quently to do without their meals or means of ablution, there being no places set apart for
such requirements. The latrines are temporary but kept in good order, and Dry-earth system
daily carried out.
There are no hospital assistants or medical pupils' quarters, and for the time they have
to share with the servants the same dark insanitary hovels. It is, I may add, most inconve-
nient for such deficiencies to exist so long, though annually represented. Plans and estimates
for these and other improvements have been long duly gone into, and sent in by undersigned
and the local engineer; but nothing appears to be done, and the want is, therefore, again this
year brought forward in this report, in the hope that something may be done through the
divisional sanitary authorities, with regard to what has been for the last six or seven years
officially recommended by the committees on barrack and other buildings, yearly assembled
at this station.
The fall of rain, over 41 inches and 48 cents, has been beyond the annual average, which
is about 32 inches.
The tanks, however, appear not to profit by this abundant fall, as on the water reaching a
certain height, they leak. They require inspection during the dry weather when the water is
at a low level; and a few broken surfaces where plaster has fallen off should be carefully cemented
and set to rights, by which means a considerable saving of water would be effected, which now
finds its way through the retaining walls.
The quality and quantity were deficient this year, particularly in
the hot weather, and the troops had to get their drinking-water from
a well " chicken bayra" at the foot of the hill, the quality of which after
analysis was found to be by no means good. I may add that the only
shallow well in the Fort used for Europeans is utterly insufficient.
Chiefly ague and remittent fever. Some of the latter this year
vas of a bad and low, adynamic type, with usually complications of head,
chest, spleen, or bowels, but for the most part amenable to treatment.