Ventilation of
the hospital.
General
conclusions.
Water-
supply.
Diet.
113
BRITISH BURMAH DIVISION.
Diet.—Provisions though plentiful are not so cheap as in India. The men receive raw rations
of rice, dholl, and ghee, and money allowance varying from Rupees 1-8-0 to Rupees 14 according
to rank. Those who live well suffer much less from disease than those who stint themselves.
Epidemic diseases.— During the year there were 58 admissions from dysentery. As before
mentioned, this disease is very prevalent during the monsoon. The civil population also suffers
to a very great extent from it. If taken in hand early it is very readily amenable to treatment.
There was only one death out of the 58 cases under treatment. Diarrhœa caused 72 admissions;
this disease is much more obstinate than the former. It very soon becomes chronic, the patients
rapidly become weak and anæmic, œdema of the extremities follow, and death frequently occurs
from exhaustion. Ague prevails at the end of the rains and during the cold weather. This
disease, though not so fatal, causes a good deal of loss of service; the abovementioned diseases are
I think, climatic, but probably predisposed from poor
Diet.
Epidemic
diseases.
Ventilation of the hospital.— The east half of the native regimental hospital is used by the left
wing of the 39th Regiment. Is well ventilated.
General conclusions.—There were 240 admissions in the left wing and head-quarters from the
22nd March to 31st December and 107 admissions in the whole regiment from the 1st January
to 21st March. During the year there were 3 deaths in hospital; 18 men were sent away on sick
certificate to the coast; out of this number 9 have died, 2 died on the way to Rangoon, 2 in Ran
-
goon, 1 at sea going to Madras, 3 died at the Palaveram Depot, and 1 while on leave to his native
village. 1875 is considered rather unhealthy, probably from the unusually heavy fall of rain.
The following officers were in medical charge of the right wing of this corps
during the year:—
Surgeon P. N. Mookerjee.
Do.
J. Lancaster, M.D.
The last-named reports as follows:—
Climate of the station.— The climate of the station may be divided into three "seasons," first
the cold, the hot, and the rainy; the cold extends from November to the middle of February; the
nights are chill; the days cool and pleasant; winds moderate from north to north-east; diseases
of the respiratory organs and intermittent fevers usually prevail at this season. The hot weather
commences from the beginning of March or the end of February and lasts to the middle of May;
this seems to be the healthiest part of the year to the natives. The rainy weather commences
from the middle of May and continues to the end of October; the air is almost always saturated
with moisture. Dysentery, diarrhœa, and diseases of the respiratory organs are most common
during this season.
Diseases of the district. Medical topography.—The heavy rainfall, the extremes of temperature,
the sudden and large alterations in temperature in 24 hours predispose the inhabitants to disease,
and chiefly to diseases of the digestive and respiratory organs. Dysentery, both acute and chronic,
is common during the rains, while diseases of the respiratory organs (coughs, colds, bronchitis,
asthma) are common during the cold season as well as during the rains. From the diet of the
people, the common lumbrici or round worms afflict at least 90 per cent. of them.
Climate of the
station.
Diseases of
the district.
Medical
topography.
Ventilation and drainage for the men's barrack-rooms, huts, &c.— The barrack-rooms are lofty
and well ventilated. Their construction, as well as their natural position on elevated ground, favour
free ventilation. The drainage is good: there are no pucka drains around the barrack, but merely
scratched ones. From the elevated situation and good natural drainage, the disadvantage of these
scratch drains is not apparent. The drummers with their families live in huts to the west of the
barracks; these are but slightly raised from the ground; they are fairly ventilated, but the drainage
is not good: the drains around them are, however, kept in good order, and are regularly deepened
and cleaned. The latrines are situated about 300 yards to north-west of the barracks; they are
wooden ones with a tarred pucka floor; the dry-earth system of conservancy is carried out here,
and every precaution is taken to keep the place as clean as possible. The hospital latrine is a
pucka building with enormously thick walls; it is difficult to clean and to be kept clean.
Ventilation
and drain
age for the men's
barrack-
rooms, huts,
&c.
Water-supply.— The water-supply has been very good during the year under review both as
regards the quality and quantity. During the rains the supply is abundant, but it is less so
during the short hot and cold seasons. No filters are used.
Diet.— Provisions are good both as regards quality and quantity, but prices are higher than
they are in the Madras Presidency. Unfortunately, however, the variety of vegetables is not large,
particularly during the rains. The men receive rations, viz., turmeric 2 drs., rice 2 lbs., ghee 2 oz.,
tobacco 1¼ oz., salt 12 drs., dholl 3 oz., and Rupees 1-8-0 batta. Meat does not as a rule (from
its high price) form a large proportion of their diet; and, as the men are anxious to save and to
remit to their families as much as they can, they are apt to stint themselves and live rather too
frugally: hence the tendency to anæmia, and a -predisposition to diseases of the digestive organs.
If diet has been sufficiently nutritive.—Yes. The rations and batta allowance are good; the
fault, if any, lies with the men themselves who, from (as a rule) their anxiety to save and to remit
home, live too frugally, and do not take a sufficient quantity of animal food. On the whole,
however, the condition and physique of the men compared to Many in India are good.
If diet has
been suffi-
ciently
nutritive
2 9