Deficient
establishment
of sweepers.
Urinals.
Latrines.
they exist, though of admirable use as agents of drainage are always sanitary
eye-sores, as they afford such tempting receptacles for filth. So do hollows
and pits of all kinds, and it is recognised as an important sanitary measure
to fill them up. The conversion of nullahs
into regular drains, as has been
to some extent done at Dehra Doon, is a practice worthy of encouragement and
imitation. That department of conservancy which concerns itself with the
disposal of human excreta is, for obvious reasons, specially and pre-eminently
important, and forms annually a very prominent subject of attention in these
reports. The experience of 1874 is of considerable value, as affecting the
opriate and efficient system of disposal of excreta in
Deficient
latrine accom-
modation.
clear space exists at a reasonable distance from the lines, in static
vicinity is sparsely inhabited, or uninhabited, the practice appears to be devoid
of harm. In India, the natural agencies for the destruction and removal of
putrid material are so many and so quick in operation, that, given these
conditions, it is a subject of question whether art or contrivance can improve
upon the customs which the instincts of Indian races have called into existence.
In most regiments, however, latrines of some kind are in use, and in large
populous cantonments, or those situated amidst a dense population, these are
absolutely necessary.
It is evident from the reports that in very many regiments grave defects
in the construction or management of latrines- still exist. Looking to
the habits of natives, deficient latrine accommodation, and the distance from the
lines at which latrines are often situated, are, as might be anticipated, frequent
complaints. These circumstances, combined with the national aversion to using
latrines of any sort, often render the attempt to introduce them nugatory.
The trench system whether carried out by means of wheeled compartments or
The dry-earth
system.
Water-supply.
sufficient number of compartments, in which
kept separate ; the former promptly deodorised with powdered dry-earth, speedily
removed and buried in trenches, the land so used being subsequently cultivated,
and the latter carried off in water-tight conduits or receptacles, and also committed
to shallow trenches. In such stations as Jhansi, however, physical obstacles exist
to the practice of even this modification of the trench system (p. 37). The
latrine designed by Dr. Cowie at Alipore, (vide p. 2 of report of 1873), appears to
succeed well. Deficient establishment of sweepers is assigned by several
medical officers as a cause of failure of any system of latrines (pp., 1, 188 and
194). The private latrines of Madras regiments continue to be a source of
difficulty in the conservancy of these regiments. The excellent measure of
providing urinals for native regiments is making some progress. Surgeon-
Major Eteson describes at page 100 an arrangement which he has introduced
in the Sappers and Miners, and which seems well suited for its purpose.
Surgeon Gardener's urinals (vide page 181 of report of 1873) in the 29th
Punjab Native Infantry give satisfaction, and similar arrangements have been
adopted in the 30th Punjab Native Infantry. On the whole, it is evident that
the very important subject of conservancy continues to obtain close attention,
but that many and serious sanitary defects still exist under this head.
19. The arrangements for supplying regiments with water for drinking and
cooking purposes, as pure as it can be found and kept, are very much the same
as in previous years. All the usual precautions for water conservancy seem
to be adopted, more especially the reservation of the best source for consumption,
drawing from elsewhere that required for ordinary use, and the preservation
of wells and other sources from palpable contamination. The regiments stationed
in the vicinity of Calcutta enjoy the benefit of the excellent water supplied by