Water-supply.
Diet.
72
MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT OF THE NATIVE ARMY OF BENGAL.
The district of
Bahraich.
Meteorology.
Lines, huts,
&e.
Cany at,
By ram pore.
ConsConseConservancy
The latrine
at Lucknow.
Conservancy
in camp.
The portion of the Bahraich district about here is very flat, highly cultivated (at present
chiefly barley mixed with mustard and sugarcane), and abounds with beautiful topes of
mango trees. Irrigation in the immediate vicinity of the camp would, I fancy, even in ordinary
seasons, be anything but required ; but here and there further on towards Baraich signs of its
use are met with, chiefly in the form of the long bamboo weighted at one end, leathern bag and
kutcha well. The soil is a light sandy one. It is a curious fact that the grass here, whatever
the cause may be, although excellent for horses, does not suit cows or buffaloes, whose condition
and amount of milk comes down at once. The villagers say this is pretty general throughout
the district, and an officer in the regiment who brought out his cows, soon finding that the
abundance of that kind of food here was worse than the poverty of Lucknow, was glad to
send them back again.
IV.
Meteorotogy.—The long continued heat of the past year, unbroken by any real
" rains," made the season an exceptionally trying one. The rainfall from January to September
was only 10 inches,
V. Lines, huts, &c. —I n c a m p h e r e t h e r e g i m e n t i s u n d e r c a n v a s , i n l a r g e , s h a d y g r o v e s o f
mango trees, running parellel to, and about 200 yards from, the road to Baraich. The whole
front extends to about 800 yards, including intervening small fields, space for riding school,
recruits, &c., and is occupied by officers' section on extreme left ; the grass-cutters
to the right of the middle, and the men and horses on the right. The baghs which abound in this
district seem almost to have been laid out with a view to being used by regiments, especially
cavalry, as they consist of rows of trees planted 15 or 16 yards from each other in every direc-
tion, so as to leave long, regular, leafy avenues, affording shelter and natural regularity for
picketing horses and pitching tents, every sixth or seventh one also having a well of some sort
in or near it. The lines are laid out according to regulations, and the men's pâls are new and
good : 2 sowars in each. At Barrackpore, the o.fficer in medical charge of detachment reported
several times in his returns regarding the bad condition of the huts. In July, however, they
were repaired and put right.
V11. Conservancy &c.— Lucknow, as a special point was always made of' conservancy in
and around the lines, it was always well carried out and with no trouble, the whole place, including
latrines, being always beautifully clean and tidy. The hospital latrine introduced by Dr. Clarke,
and mentioned in his report for 1876, is certainly a capital one ; and Major General Chamber-
lain commanding the Oudh Division, during the past year, gave instructions that those of the
other two native regiments in the station should be altered to its pattern. The general sweep-
ings of the lines, plus the hospital refuse, used to be carted away together and chiefly burned
in a brick-kiln some distance off, but latterly the latter has been removed separately and buried.
The building of a shed for storing dry-earth, and the receipt, after much delay, of the implements
(mallet, scoop, box, &c.), sanctioned in Surgeon-General's No.137/22—12—76,have also further
increased the means of properly working this latrine. Some of the men have caste-prejudices
against using the dry-earth for themselves ; but as there are two hospital mehters, one paid by
Government and the other by the men, an attendant is always on duty to do anything that is
required after a man has made use of the building. The latrine rooms inside the hospital
verandah (two) are only used in cold, wet weather, or in cases of emergency. The line latrines
are the same as before. In camp, as the time of the regiment's stay here depended solely on the
amount of grass procurable, and was uncertain, the men at first were simply allowed to resort
to the neighbouring khets, a small hospital latrine of grass having been put up for its occupants ;
but later on, as it became certain that we would remain for some time, regular ones, consisting
of grass screens and separate divisions on the trench system were erected for all and carefully
looked after, the use of the former resorts being. strictly prohibited. 1 may mention that there
is always a sowar, relieved occasionally, whose duty it is to report daily on, and take a special
supervision of, the regimental sanitary arrangements. In Barrackpore the conservancy is said
to be good.
The water-supply, obtained from wells, is reported to have been good, both in
cantonments and camp.
IX. Diet has been good. Certainly none of the men look as if' they had starved them-
selves. The regiment has adopted the troop messing system, and, although the prices of grain-
food during the latter part of this year have been higher than usual, since coining into camp,
native vegetables, firewood, and meat (4 out of the 6 troops are flesh-eaters), have been easily
and cheaply procurable, and all have done very well.
Duty.
Recreations.
Duty has been moderate, except at Barrackpore, where escort duty was
severe. The men amused themselves in camp by assisting their officers in
pig-sticking and the usual cavalry sports.
Hospital.
XIV. Hospital.—The
zenana compound wall for rnarried hospital assistants' quarters,
sanctioned in Surgeon-General's C. M. 82 of 5th October 1877, will be erected as soon as the
regiment returns to cantonments. No steps have been taken as yet to provide proper accommoda
-tion for all the hospital stair. In camp there has only been the usual hospital tent, and this
has been sufficient for the number of sick.