Climate of the
station.
Position of
barracks.
Ventilation
and drainage
for the men' s
huts.
Nuisance.
Duty and
exercises.
Epidemic
diseases.
Hospital
drainage.
General
conclusions.
67
MYSORE DIVISION.
The following officers were in medical charge of this corps during the year:
—
Surgeon-Major W. J. Busteed, M.D.
Surgeon J. S. Dill, M.D.
And the last-named reports as follows:—
Climate of the station.—The monsoon of this year was not so heavy as it was in 1874. Partly
as a consequence of this, and partly owing to the men having become to some extent acclimatised,
there has not been so much sickness.
Position of barracks.—The huts are situated in a deep basin to the south of the fort. In the
bottom of this basin is a marshy swamp from which a dense malarious fog arises nightly; the
position is not a healthy one, but might be much improved by thorough drainage. The huts are
built of mud. One half the right wing has tiled roofs, the other half thatched; the left wing is
now being supplied with new huts, which, when thoroughly dry, will be comfortable.
Ventilation and drainage for the men's huts.— The ventilation is as good as in sepoy huts
elsewhere, which means little or no ventilation whatever. The drainage is very imperfect, there
not being a pucka made drain throughout the whole lines. Drainage is carried on by small
trenches dug in the superficial earth, which are torn into holes in the monsoon, and become cess
-pools from soakage of sewage-matter in the dry weather.
Nuisance.— A
nuisance existed within the fort in the shape of two small and quite unventi
-lated latrines, which were used by fort servants, orderlies, fort sentries, &c.; it was so nearly
impossible to keep them even moderately clean, that they were by my advice closed up; they are
now, however, being re-opened, the Assistant Engineer of Coorg having undertaken to ventilate
them. The state of the drainage of the lines is mentioned in paragraph 5. All the superficial
furrows in the lines become saturated with sewage in the dry weather.
Water-supply.—There are six wells in the lines; three of these have been condemned as con
-taining bad water, being situated in the line of drainage. The water in the other three is fairly
good, but becomes scarce towards the end of the dry weather.
Sanitary arrangements.—The sanitary arrangements within the fort have been on the whole
satisfactory. The sanitation of the lines will never be even fairly good until good brick-and
-chunam drains are put up, and the basin beneath the lines drained.
Water
-supply.
Sanitary
arrange
- m e n t s .
Diet. —Provisions of all sorts are very dear in this station, quite as much, so I believe, as in
any foreign station; vegetables are also scarce and dear; the only compensation the sepoy gets is
the regulation rice allowance, which is quite insufficient. Any sepoy with a large family is quite
unable to supply himself with sufficient nourishment out of his pay. I believe a great deal of the
sickness in the regiment is produced by eating cheap and unsound food.
Clothing.— The clothing of the men whilst in uniform is sufficient, but, as stated by Dr. Busteed,
my predecessor, in last year's report: "As the sepoy is out of uniform three-fourths of his time,
and as his own clothing is miserably thin and unsuited to the climate, it follows that the greater
part of his time his clothing is not sufficient."
Diet.
Clothing.
Duty and exercises.— Drills during the past year were light. The men are now engaged in
fatigue duty, laying out new lines for the left wing. No unfavourable effect has been produced
by the work. Average number of nights in bed 3¼.
Epidemic diseases. —Malarious fevers, diarrhœa, dysentery, and itch have been the principal
diseases; the total sickness has, however, been less this year than it was in 1874, the year the
regiment arrived here. The principal causes of disease have been bad or insufficient food, cold,
thin and insufficient clothing when not in uniform, malaria. There has been no epidemic during
the year.
Hospital ventilation. —Hospital ventilation satisfactory.
Hospital
ventilation.
Hospital drainage.—The drainage round the hospital is satisfactory. Dry-earth sewage is
being carried out now in the dry weather, but is an impossibility in the monsoon.
General conclusions.—The health of the regiment is somewhat improved during the year;
the men are becoming to a certain extent acclimatised.
Deputy Surgeon-General George Smith, M.D., inspetced this corps on the 29th
April and following day, and reports as follows:—
Lines.—In December 1874, on the occasion of my last inspection, I gave a full description of
the lines of this regiment. Since that inspection many and great changes for the better have
been effected. The ruined miserable huts belonging to the left wing of the regiment have been
removed, and 358 new huts of a better class have been erected in lines upon and contiguous with
their site. It is stated by the officer commanding that all the required huts will be erected
before the rains set in; these huts are good, well built, commodious and thatched structures. The
former huts are nearly all pulled down. There are in the lines 1,105 huts, of which 372 are tiled and
333 thatched. The average number of occupants per hut is 2.80.
The population of the lines amounts to 2,078.* The new lines
extend along the eastern side of the bowl-shaped depression, in
which the line huts are placed, the ground being freely scarped to
make room for the blocks of huts. Deep trenches are dug as catch -
drains for storm water, and great precautions have been taken to
secure the safety of the huts during the coming rains. Great
* As follows:
—
Troops (native only) . . .
657
Families and
followers.
Males . . . 174
Females . . . 620
Males . . . 340
Children . . .
'
Females . . . 287
2,078
Lines.