Clothing.
Duty and
exercises.
38
Climate of the
station.
Ventilation
and drainage
for the men's
barrack-
rooms and
huts.
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF MADRAS.
Surgeon-Major F. Duckworth, M.D., was in medical charge of this corps during
the year, and reports as follows :—
Climate of the station .—Quilon is a sea-coast station, and has a very damp, moist climate,
productive of, and inimical to, chest affections, bowel disorders, fevers, rheumatism, and skin
diseases. The monsoons are heavy and protracted, ushered in with much thunder and lightning;
the south-west monsoon usually sets in about the middle of May and lasts to the end of July
or August, when a break occurs, the duration of which varies, succeeded by the north-east
monsoon in October and November. The cold months are December, January, and February,
and the hot months March. April. and May.
Ventilation and drainage for the men's barrack-rooms and huts .—No drainage or sewerage
works exist. The natural configuration of the ground being undulating and the soil porous
and sandy, all surface water is rapidly removed by natural drainage and percolation. The
ventilation of barracks, guard-room, prison, and cells is quite satisfactory, and that of the sepoys'
huts has been alluded to in the preceding paragraph.
Nuisance.
water
-supply.
Sanitary
arrange
-ments.
Diet.
Epidemic
diseases.
Ventilation of the hospi
-tal.
Nuisance .—The objectional practice of burials in an old Mahomedan cemetery situated on the
canal bank in the neighbourhood of the regimental lines, which fouled the drinking water of
the wells in its proximity, and which was prominently noticed in last year's report, has happily
since been closed for good, and a new Mahomedan burial-ground a mile distant from the lines
and barracks, and well removed from human habitations, has been assigned to them for future
burials.
Water-supply .—Water is plentiful throughout the year, and the quality is unexceptionable.
The supply is chiefly derived from wells, of which there are thirteen in different parts of the
lines. Eight of them have pavements and circular drains around them, as well as wooden covers
to the mouths to guard against accident and pollution.
Sanitary arrangements .—The sanitation and conservancy of the regimental lines and
other public buildings are carefully attended to. The night-soil and sweepings are carted away
regularly and buried in a distant place allotted for the purpose. The conservancy department
is kept in efficient working order by weekly inspections made both by the Quartermaster and
medical officer.
Diet.—Provisions were rather more plentiful than last year, and prices were consequently
lower. Butcher's meat is always of indifferent quality. As sheep do not thrive in this
climate, goat's flesh only is daily vended to the public. Good mutton can only be procured by
special arrangement and at great expense. Beef, seldom good, to be had only once in a week or
so. The cow being held in veneration here, can only be slaughtered within military limits.
Fish, however, is plentiful and good. Country vegetables abundant. English varieties scarce.
Good table rice has to be imported, and is not always to be had; the coarser kinds alone
cultivated in this country, and even these are far from cheap. The sepoys received compensation
for dearness of provisions at the rate of Rupees 2 per mensem per man.
Clothing .—The head dress alone appears not quite the thing, consisting as it does of a small
close-fitting skull-cap worn throughout the year, with white cover in hot weather and a glazed
cover during the monsoon; but it fails to afford adequate protection against either sun or rain.
Duty and exercises .—The duties of the men are light and in no way detrimental to health.
They consist of parades, drills, route-marching, guard-mounting, trench and running drill,
picquet duties and sham-fights, cleaning of arms and accoutrements, and daily roll-calls. For a
short time the men were engaged on fatigue duty in throwing up earth works at the butts, for
which I believe they are to be remunerated. Number of nights in bed 4 to 5 per week.
Epidemic diseases .—Cholera in an epidemic form prevailed in the neighbourhood and
suburbs of Quilon from August to November 1875, when it ceased; but before disappearing cases
of the disease also occurred within cantonment limits, yet without attacking a single individual
(man, woman, or child) of the regiment. The ordinary precautions against an invasion were
promptly taken, and consisted of proper conservancy and cleanliness of the town and station;
restriction of the men to their own cantonment and regimental lines prevention of pilgrims and
travellers lodging in the chuttrum and rest-houses in the neighbourhood of the lines; the
temporary prohibition of the practice of fishermen drying fish along the beach, &c.; the
fumigation of all the huts, and issue of McDougall's powder to the men for use in their
dwellings.
Ventilation of the hospital.—The hospital is a long, tile-roofed building, substantially
constructed and possessing a good brick floor and long verandah on both sides; standing on
elevated ground on the bank of what was a trench or canal, the slopes and falls on the sides
securing for it a capital natural drainage aided by the porous sandy nature of the soil around.
Both lighting and ventilation are amply provided for; ridge ventilation along the summit of
the roof; eight ventilators on the side walls, besides four doors and twenty windows all round the
building, securing the freest circulation of air throughout.
Hospital latrines.
Hospital
water-supply.
Hospital
diets.
Hospital latrines .—The latrine of the hospital is but a small one, and the principle of dry
-earth conservancy adopted.
Hospital water-supply .—Water-supply very good.
Hospital diets .—Patients are not dieted in hospital, but have hospital comforts afforded.
them whenever needed in allowance of sago and arrowroot, mutton and milk, wines and spirits.