24
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
influences as affected the 35th, and these influences produced cholera in both. What these
influences are, no one can say ; but experience shows that they are frequently met with by
rivers; and that native troops travelling on them ( i.e., rivers) often suffer from them more
severely as a rule than under any other circumstances." I may be permitted to rejoin, that in
this particular instance the most effective influence was contact with an infected body of men.
We got cholera from the 35th Native Infantry and not from their boats, for the first case
occurred on the 28th in the early morning, before we had started from Cachar. The Sanitary
Commissioner, in his letter above quoted, asks," Were the boats attacked the same which
furnished cases in both instances ?" Had such been even possible, I should have been very
seriously and deservedly to blame. In paragraph III, section 3, of my report above mention-
ed, it is written,—" We took no boat in which a case of cholera had occurred." Regarding the
spread of the disease, I said in my special report, " nor is there any ground for saying that the
disease was communicated by infection, or that the healthy were directly infected by the sick. "
This statement is perhaps a little too absolute. In paragraph III, Section 1 F of the report,
I noticed the fact that of the total number of cases which had occurred amongst the men
(viz. 18), six had occurred in D. Company. These cases occurred one in each of the following days,
19th, 20th, 22nd, 26th, 27th and 29th February. Now, amongst the children of married sepoys
of D. Company, there were three cases which occurred, one on early morning of 19th, one on
20th, and one on the 27th, the two latter being the children of one man. The fathers of
these children occupied the same boat. I have no doubt, in fact I know, that the fathers con-
trived to be very often with their children when they were ill (I allude especially, of course, to
the two first cases) notwithstanding strict orders to the contrary. I am bound to say, however,
that neither were the men themselves, nor any of the other occupants of this boat, attacked.
Still, taking all the circumstances into consideration, they are perhaps such as would modify
the absolute opinion I expressed, as already mentioned.
Measures
adopted.
Dina pore.
Measures
dopted.
Measures adopted. —The regiment at Cachar was kept as separate as possible from the
35th Native Infantry ; no boat was taken in which a case of cholera had occurred. The
boats were thoroughly washed out and cleaned, and then disinfected with carbolic acid, or
McDougal l ' s powder . Wi ndows wer e cut i n t he s i des t o ens ur e f r ee vent i l at i on. Each mor ni ng
the men, and many of the women and children, landed from the boats and walked along the banks
for a few hours. The men were prohibited from entering any villages on the way, and they were
directed to take their drinking-water from the centre of the stream. A supply of good water
from Cachar would have been preferable, but the caste prejudices of the Hindoos did
not allow of such being brought. The men were directed to come to hospital on the slightest
appearance of looseness of the bowels. A few extra boats were entertained. When a case
of cholera occurred, the affected person was at once removed to the cholera hospital boat, the
other healthy occupants of his boat being moved into one of the extra boats. The affected boat
was then left behind. This course had soon to be given up, there being no more extra boats
available. The plan then adopted was that the affected boat was sent to the rear of the line,
just in front of the hospital boat, was freely sprinkled with carbolic acid or McDougall's powder,
and not allowed to rejoin the line again. On board the steamer and flats the decks were
washed down each morning, and freely sprinkled with McDougall's powder. The latrines
were carefully looked after, and McDougall's powder freely used in them. The cholera excreta
were at once disinfected and thrown into the river, and the dead-bodies were buried when-
ever practicable, otherwise were thrown into the river and sunk.
In order to isolate the sick, I proposed to have a cholera hospital boat towed behind the
steamer, but the Captain said it would be very dangerous, and would not accept the risk.
At the camp, Kanchrapara, the usual sanitary precautions were adopted—the sick were
thoroughly, isolated, the men had plenty of fresh air, were not huddled together as on board the
boats and steamer, were able to have their food in comfort, and had a water-supply, which, if
not very excellent, was at least free from any suspicion of contamination with cholera excreta.
The disease accordingly soon left us.
Dinapore. —At Dinapore, in the beginning of June, there was a small outbreak of cholera.
The first case occurred on 31st May, one case occurred on 6th June, one on 7th, and two on 8th.
The persons attacked were all sepoys, and all belonged to different Companies. As to
causation, very little can be said, for some two months previous to these cases, cholera had been
more or less prevalent throughout the place, many cases had occurred in the villages and
bazars near the lines, five cases had occurred in the 109th Regiment, and one in the Artillery
(C-11 R. A.)
The regiment was moved into camp in the parade-ground on 8th June : after that no fresh
case occurred. While the regiment was in camp the wells in the lines were thoroughly cleaned
out—not that there was any suspicion attaching to them, but it was thought a good opportunity to
have them cleaned. The lines were re-occupied on evening of 17th. A case of cholera
occurred on 14th July, but I think it had no connection with those which occurred in August.
The man was attacked when on duty at the quarter-guard. The building was vacated for ten
days, and the walls scraped and whitewashed.
In the early part of August four cases of cholera occurred. The first case was on 1st August,
the person attacked being the child of a goorgah of D Company : a sepoy was attacked on 6th,
and another on 10th ; both were Hindoos and both belonged to D Company ; on 12th the mother of
the child above referred to was attacked. The following is taken from my special report on this
outbreak, submitted on the 12th September : " In paragraph III, section I—F, I mentioned the
hole dug by goorgahs in which to scour vessels ; and the hole dug by this goorgah was within a