48
SKETCH OF THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BOMBAY.
Sassoon Hospital, where a ward was set apart for their reception. In this way about 20
patients were brought under treatment from the railway station, while, as far as reported to
me, only eight other cases occurred in the town, and still fewer in the cantonment. Much
credit is due both to the police and the Hospital Assistants, who so vigilantly and zealously
performed the duties assigned to them.
Much discussion and correspondence has been going on during the last few months
regarding the expediency of abolishing the present system of carting away all ordure to a consi
-derable distance from cantonment, and substituting for it a plan said to be very effective in
Bengal, viz., to dig trenches about 6 or 8 inches deep, close up to the men's houses and after a
certain time have grain of some kind sown upon them.
When called upon for my opinion on the subject, I did not think it necessary to go
deeply into it, but confined myself to saying that as regarded the Poona cantonment, it was
impossible to find any place in the neighbourhood of the 9th and 24th Lines where there was
sufficient soil to allow of the experiment being tried, except on the race course or the border
of a nullah, where it had been proposed to commence the experiment, but where, as I pointed
out, contamination of the water in the nullah from which the regimental wells are mainly
supplied would inevitably be the result.
Neither of these places appeared to me to be at all suitable, and the objections being
admitted the scheme was abandoned.
As regards the neighbourhood of the 23rd Lines, however, the circumstances were some
-what different, inasmuch as there are no sources of water-supply in the neighbourhood likely
to be injured. I admitted therefore that the experiment might perhaps be tried during the
hot months without much risk, but expressed the opinion that in the rains or in case of any
unexpected down-pour of rain, the nuisance caused thereby would be intolerable.
The experiment was commenced and has been continued, but the result has been such
that I deemed it my duty, first, to urge a reconsideration of the subject, and more lately to
point out the advisability of putting a stop to the system at once.
My reasons for thus advising the military authorities were, first, that during a recent
heavy fall of rain the filth was washed out of the trenches and was floating about over the surface
of the ground, while the men, women, and children did not know where to go to relieve nature,
and thus a fair sample of the probable result of what would occur during the monsoon was
afforded. My other reason was, that on personally examining the trench first made (on the
26th November last), three months after it had been closed, I found the ordure as little
decomposed, and if possible more offensive than it had been when first deposited. I reasoned
to myself that if, as it appeared, at least three months more would be requisite to allow of
decomposition taking place in the trenches first filled in, it was hopeless to expect that those
now being used, and still more those hereafter to be made, would have their contents rendered
innocuous before the monsoon, when we might of course expect the disgusting result described
above to be of frequent repetition; I therefore urged the immediate stoppage of the system.
My opinion of the arrangement, judging from what I have seen, is decidedly adverse to
its being introduced into any cantonment on the Bombay side, and with the exception of that of
Baroda, I am well acquainted with every one of them.
While on this subject I may as well mention another case where it appears to me that
economy has been carried somewhat too far in conservancy arrangments. As the regulations
now stand, one tank cart only is allowed to each regiment. Unfortunately a tank cart cannot
like a quire of paper be divided into two equal portions, when the regiment happens to be
divided into wings. Though this is self-evident no departure from the rule is granted. The
case in point is that of the 10th Regiment N. I., one wing was sent to Tanna, the bead quar-