68
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Latrines.
Water-supply.
Conservancy.
Hospital.
credit is due to the commanding officer for the energy with which this necessary work has been
pushed on. Within ten days every man in the regiment will be hutted, either in comfortable
tiled or in comfortable thatched and new huts. The dimensions of the new huts are according
to regulation. The drainage is by gutters, ditches, and trenches. This is objectionable, but
must answer in the meantime. A carefully-constructed system of V-shaped stone drains is
necessary, for the slope of the ground is considerable, and the rainfall at Mercara heavy and
continuous during the monsoon.
Latrines. —There are two regimental latrines, one to the west of the lines of the right wing,
the other in the hollow of the basin. They are mat enclosures without roofs, and consist of mere
trenches and some dry earth. They do not seem to be much used. The sepoys prefer going to
some distance for the purposes of nature, and avail themselves of the convenient shelter of coffee
and lantana, trees; wherever these exist in clumps there exists a latrine; and, as every house has
some coffee plants and many have lantana hedges, &c., the extent to which general and indis
-ciminatory soiling of the surface is carried on here is more easily imagined than described. The
facilities for defæcation exist everywhere, and public or regimental latrines would hardly be
used even if built.
Water-supply. —There is one excellent well of water in the fort. The remaining wells, six
in number, are outside the fort, and are all, with one exception, situated at or near the bottom of
the bowl-shaped depression. All are exposed to contamination, but have lately been protected by
parapets and platforms, and most of them provided with drawing tackle. Upon the whole the
water-supply is good and sufficient.
Conservancy. —The town of Mercara, with its 7,000 inhabitants, lies on the north of the fort. on
a steep slope facing the south. It is apparently but not really a clean town, and possesses great
advantages of lie and locality as regards drainage. There is a good deal of rank vegetation
mixed with coffee plants near the fort, which requires conservancy, as these concealed and conve
-nient spots are used largely by the natives, in and out of the fort, as defæcation grounds. The
marshy ground at the bottom of the bowl-shaped depression in which the lines are placed requires
reclaiming, draining, and planting as advised in my last report. There is also an ill-conserved
Gowlie village lying on the south-west slope of the depression which, at little expense, might be
purchased and, with great advantage, removed. The ground of the village could be utilised as
sepoys' gardens, and the existing thick and unconserved vegetation in its neighbourhood could
then be thinned out and conserved, the immense lantana hedges being entirely removed.
Hospital. —It looks clean and well conserved; but large as it is compared with other regimen
-tal hospitals (it has accommodation for 50 at 54 square feet per patient; at 99 square feet it can
only accommodate 27), it is often inconveniently crowded. On this date (28th April) the number
of sick in hospital amounts to 36, the principal diseases being ague 10, diarrhœa 13, abscess 2.
acute rheumatism 2, &c. At this time, in consequence of climatic changes, diarrhœa is more
than usually prevalent.
30th Regiment Native Infantry.
STATION—FRENCH ROCKS.
Arrived from Thayetmyo 11th February and 20th March 1869.
Average strength
..
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
..
..
. . 699
Do.
do.
present ..
..
..
..
..
. .
..
.. 630
Admissions ..
..
..
. .
..
..
..
..
.. 313
Daily sick
..
..
..
..
..
. .
..
..
. .
..
8
Deaths in hospital ..
. . ..
..
..
..
..
..
..
6
Do. out of do. ..
..
..
..
..
..
..
. . ..
1
Pensioned
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
11
Sick leave
..
..
. .
. . . .
. .
. .
. .
. .
..
3
The following return shows the rates of sickness, deaths, and invaliding as
contrasted with previous years:—
Years.
Stations.
Rate per Cent. of.
Average Strength Present.
Average Strength.
Admissions. Daily Sick. All Deaths. Pensioned. Sick Leave.
1872 ..
.. French Rocks ..
..
60.20
2.01
.56
1.84
2.12
1873 ..
..
Do.
..
..
102.92
1.71
1.24 ..
.55
1874 ..
..
Do.
. .
34.20
1.14
. 2 8
..
..
Average ..
65.77
1.62
. 6 9
.61
.89
1875
. . French Rocks ..
. .
49.68
1.26
1.00
1.57
0.42