5
from west to east ; but along the northern face the verandah is completely walled
in, and is used as an apothecary's store-room, which the Medical Officer rightly,
in my opinion, considers to be insecure. The floor of this and the other ward has
been paved with stone slabs, which slope to the walls, round which runs an open
gutter 6½ feet by 7 feet. This is flagged over at the doorways ; but it is most ob-
oj e c t i o n a b l e , a s t h e c l o s e d p a r t w a s f o u n d f u l l o f a l l k i n d s o fc
u t c h r a — r a g s ,
s a n d ,
pieces of paper—and in one instance a pewter urinal had been thrust under it. It
is supposed that this arrangement was made in order that the floors might be
sluiced down with water ; but I think few Medical Officers consider such a pro-
ceeding desirable, as it would surely make the surface below the stones damp, and
is, in my opinion, entirely unnecessary. These gutters should—without loss of time,
if the hospital is to be continued—be filled in and paved over. The Female
Hospital is in much too close proximity to the men's ward, and there is only a
distance of 53 feet between it and the men's latrines, which are to windward of it.
The quarters assigned to the Matron have been made by enclosing the verandah
on the south of the Female Hospital, and are quite unsuited for the purpose. The
Matron is at present occupying the building called the Infectious Ward, though
I should be surprised if any Medical Officer would sanction its being used for such
cases, as it is in dangerous proximity to the hospital and to windward of it ; and it
is only 8 feet distant from an inhabited building adjoining the outer wall of the
hospital compound, and it is manifestly a most improper site for the treatment of
infectious diseases. The latrines of this building are built inside, and are very
objectionable. There are 2 cells said to have been constructed for the use of
patients suffering from delirium tremens ; they are 13 feet square, and are 12 feet 9
inches in height. The walls and ceiling are planked, and there is only one opening,
about one foot square, in the ceiling. It is stated that they are not now in use ; but
they are most inhuman places, and should be removed ; but a properly ventilated,
padded room should be provided. The Native servants' quarters are in much too
close proximity to the hospital. The lavatories and shower-baths are also not
good ; and the ventilation of the rear of the hospital is most dangerously impeded
by the manner in which the lavatories, latrines, cook-house, dead-house, purveyor's
store-rooms and apprentices' quarters have been huddled together. Surgeon-
Major O'Brien, in medical charge, has been good enough to inform me that the
whole hospital is close and sultry during the hot weather from defective ventila-
tion on account of the close proximity of surrounding buildings. I am, therefore,
clearly of opinion, that the area of ground available on this site is too small for a
proper hospital, unless additional space on the south is taken up. Even if this
be done, the site will not, in my opinion, be a proper one as long as the Mail
Contractor is allowed to keep his stables and workshops, as at present, along-
side the hospital and between it and the Artillery Lines ; another site should
be chosen for him, and then the site would be a proper one for a hospital, if the
Artillery Syce Lines—which by an extraordinary arrangement have been located
between the two hospitals—be removed. The erection of a new hospital on this
site would obviate the difficulty regarding the left-flank privy, which then might
be allowed to remain as it is.
16. The Officers' Lines are in rear of the barracks, and the compounds were
apparently well kept. Altogether the lines occupied by the Queen's Royal
Regiment are extremely clean, and the regimental authorities evidently keep a
constant and efficient supervision over their sanitary condition ; and the defects I
have pointed out, are defects in original construction, and not from any fault of
supervision.
17. A road divides the Artillery Lines from the 2nd Queen's ; and separated
by a distance of 281 yards from the hospital of the Queen's on the north, and
by 276 yards from the Officers' Lines on the east, and by 118 yards from the
Artillery Hospital on the south, are the Syce Lines. These consist of 7 rows of
mud huts ; and though they were as clean as they can be kept, they are of entirely
wrong construction, the floors being below the surface of the ground. A stand-
B 6 3 2 — b