Water
-supply.
Diet.
Duty and
exercises.
Epidemic
diseases.
97
NAGPORE FORCE.
Diseases of the district .—Hoshungabad, as indeed the entire Nerbudda valley, is notorious for
its febrile affections. The most feverish months during the past year have been January,
November, and December. The number in hospital during these months averaged 19, and there
was hardly a house in the lines which did not contain two or three persons ill with fever. The
characteristic feature of this fever is the amount of depression and loss of physical force that
follows the very slightest attack. Cholera was very prevalent and fatal during the month of May
and first part of June on the Bhopal side of the Nerbudda, but, with the exception of a few
sporadic cases among the native residents of the city and cantonment, and one mild case in the
regiment, the disease did not fortunately appear in this district. Small-pox, too, was entirely
absent during the year.
Ventilation and drainage ,for the men's huts.—As previously stated, the ground upon which the
men's huts are built is favourably situated ; but as really no system of drainage beyond merely the
shallow drains on either side of the streets is carried out, and bearing in mind the retentive nature
of the sub-soil (black cotton), it is not to be wondered at that the walls and floors are always more
or less damp during the rains.
Diseases of
the district.
Ventilation
and drainage
for the men's
huts.
Water-supply.—The water-supply during the year has been quite sufficient for all wants.
It is obtained from four different wells in the neighbourhood of the lines, and is considered of good
quality.
Diet.—The men eat beef and mutton, fish, rice, wheat and dholl ; vegetables were cheap and
abundant. Rice compensation was about Rupees 4.
Duty and exercises .—Average number of nights per week in bed 3.
Epidemic diseases .—No epidemic, properly so called, can be said to have prevailed. During
the months of January, November, and December the number of sick in the lines and in
hospital suffering from intermittent fever was unusually high, ranging in the latter often over 40.
The prevailing type was type "quotidian," and the great peculiarity of the fever was the marked
depression and loss of physical energy that followed the mildest attack. The causes appear to
have been bad housing, bad ventilation, no system of drainage, coupled with great variation in
climate, insufficient personal clothing, in some cases insufficient food, and the fact that the sepoys
a n d t h e i r f a m i l i e s s l e e p o n t h e c o l d g r o u n d w i t h o n l y t h e i n t e r p o s i t i o n o f a t h i n m a t b e t w e e n
their bodies and it.
General conclusions .—From the foregoing it will be seen that no epidemic, properly so called,
can be said to have prevailed, and no forms of epidemic disease have broken out or spread in
hospital or in the lines. Only three deaths, including the one from valvular disease of the heart,
occurred during the year. One was a confirmed opium-eater, as well as otherwise dissipated, and
the other was the result of the abuse of mercury taken by himself for sonic syphilitic complaint.
Fevers of the intermittent type were exceedingly prevalent during the months of January,
November, and December, and their great peculiarity was the marked depression and loss of
physical energy that followed the mildest attack. The cantonment occupies a healthy site, and
the natural drainage is good. The men's duties are not excessive, nor in any way detrimental to
health.
General
conclusions.
Deputy Surgeon-General W.Williamson inspected the head-quarters of this
corps on the 5th November 1875, and reports as follows :—
Lines.—The ground slopes gradually downwards on all sides, more particularly towards the
river Nerbudda ; the natural drainage is therefore very good. The huts are in fair order, and
built, as all native regimental huts are, without sufficient attention to ventilation, the only means
of ventilation being a doorway 3 feet high by 2 feet wide. The officer commanding the regiment
informs me that pucka stone drains throughout the lines have been sanctioned, and will be
completed, he hopes, by t hi s t i me next year.
Sanitary condition .—All the buildings in connexion with the lines, such as latrines, guard-
room, school-room, and prison cells, are in good sanitary condition ; there are two latrines, one on
the south side of the lines and the other on the west, both worked on the dry-earth system ; these
latrines are resorted to by the unmarried men. In the enclosure or compound of the huts of the
family men there is a privy, the contents of which are removed daily to pits half a mile distant,
dry earth being previously made use of. There are no cess-pools or foul drains connected with
the latrines.
Lines.
Sanitary
condition.
Conservancy
of the neigh-
bourhood.
Conservancy of the neighbourhood .—The conservancy of the neighbourhood of lines and station
generally is very well attended to. The main drain which receives the surface and rain water
from the lines on the north side during the monsoon runs through several of the officers' compounds,
and the rain very often causes an overflow of the drain, renders the compound very damp, and
when evaporation from the soil takes place after the rains ; the medical officer of the regiment is of
opinion that the malaria thus generated caused the fever from which several of the officers of the
regiment were suffering about that time. Steps are to be taken by the Executive Engineer to
obviate this state of matters before setting in of next monsoon.
Hospital.—The hospital is situated at a short distance from the south-east end of the reg
ì - m e n t a l l i n e s ; i t s n a t u r a l d r a i n a g e i s e x c e e d i n g l y g o o d . T h e s u p p l y o f w a t e r i s a m p l e f r o m a w e l l
close to the hospital, said at times to be brackish ; when this is so, water is brought from the wells
in the regimental lines. The dry-earth system is fully carried out ; at the back of the latrine
there is a stowage room for dry earth during the monsoon.
Hospìtal.