162
SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
there was nothing in its favour: The following were my views upon the matter, as expressed
in a letter at the time:—
" (2). There is no suitable place within any reasonable distance of the lines where the
Trench system of conservancy can be satisfactorily carried out, as it is in other stations, without
its being highly injurious to the health both of the troops and of the other inhabitants of the
cantonment. The only spot available and suitable for this method of conservancy, is situated
about 1,200 yards, or nearly three quarters of a mile, from the native infantry lines. Should
this system be carried out, and the men, women, and children of the regiment be made
to walk this distance for the purposes of nature, it would fall very heavily upon them. In a
sanitary point of view, the constant exposure to the sun, which the coming and going would
necessiate, being a fertile source for engendering fever and other diseases, would materially
lessen the efficiency of the regiment.
(3). Owing to the situation of the station of Haidarabad, placed as it is on an elevated pla-
teau of limestone rock, the deodorizing power of the ground must necessarily be very limited,
in consequence of the total absence of alluvial soil. The ground is formed of the débris of the
rock before alluded to, consisting of fragments of stone broken off and interspread with sand;
and the long distance as mentioned in paragraph 2 of this letter, would be a great obstacle.
If this should be enforced, it is with the greatest difficulty that the women and, especially, the
children, could be compelled to go so far daily and nightly; deception would then in all pro-
bability be practised, the consequences of which can be easily imagined.
(4). It was also in contemplation to dig trenches on the " maidan " which forms part of the
parade ground, but this again would be open to objection on account of its close proximity to
the officer's quarters and to the European barracks.
(5). In conclusion, I consider the present mode now carried out in the regiment, viz.,
the Dry-earth system of conservancy, to be especially suited to this locality for two reasons:
first, that the average rainfall here is very slight; secondly, that about three fourths of the
sepoys of this regiment use no water for the purposes of ablution; consequently, little, or no
difficulty, arises in the use of the Dry-earth system, as would be the case in other parts of In-
dia, where the monsoon is considerable, and where the daily use of water is universal amongst
the sepoys."
There are four new latrines built of brick, two for the accommodation of the women and
children, and two for the use of the sepoys, besides which there is one at the disposal of the
hospital, the latter being built of mud. An excellent plan is adopted in this latrine, which is
a great improvement upon the others: a " coondie " is appropriately placed for the reception
of the urine, the reason of this being to separate the solids from the fluids, and so to avoid the
rapid decomposition which otherwise must ensue, although the system cannot be so effectual
in the regimental latrines, on account of the absence of the coondie; still every care is taken
in order to promote all possible cleanliness.
Hospital and Lines.—An account of the hospital and lines was given in last yearly report.
They are both well kept, and cleanliness is constantly attended to; the former has no
post mortem room; the want of which would be very much felt in the event of any sudden
deaths occurring, which would necessitate post mortem examinations, as the operation could
then only be performed in the verandah. It is also rather to be regretted that the hospital is
so near the lines: however, every precaution is taken to prevent the patients going to the
lines or mixing with the other sepoys. With regard to the lines, I consider that the cubic
space allowed for each sepoy is insufficient, as, supposing the women and children be taken
into consideration, as well as the sepoys, each individual would have somewhat less than four
hundred cubic feet, whereas, taking Belgaum for example—there each sepoy is allowed 1,688
cubic feet, of course exclusive of women and children. To sum up, a sepoy in Haidarabad is
allowed 704 cubic feet, exclusive of women and children, besides the use of an enclosed ve-
randah; while in Belgaum, which is a much less malarious station, a sepoy has more than
double the amount allowed him. There can be no doubt whatever, that, if three or more
pendals were added to the lines in Haidarabad, the health of the regiment would be improved
by this addition. There is one good feature in the lines, and that is their excellent ventilation;
nothing could be better than the method used, which was described in last yearly report.
Vaccination.—Vaccination has been carefully practised; all those who were reported to
be unprotected were vaccinated, viz., 55. With regard to making experiments upon people
who have already been vaccinated, and also who have had small-pox so far great difficulty
arises from the unwillingness of the women to undergo re-vaccination, or to allow their
children to be operated upon, and the commanding officer has as yet been unable to spare any
men for this purpose, so that I shall be obliged, having no option, to fall back upon the re-
cruits and others who will, I hope shortly come to live in the lines. Unfortunately, few have
come as yet, and this will account for the small number of cases recorded in the returns. At
present, I am endeavouring to induce some of the married women, with their children, who