95
(iv)
Whitewashing of buildings.—A special plea for the use of whitewash
externally and, if suitable, internally is made with a view to the cooling of all
buildings and to increasing their hygienic qualities. A well whitewashed wall
is disliked by mosquitoes and flies and will not breed sandflies. A well white
-washed wall or roof has been shown to be 15° F. cooler than a one which is
dark red, dark green or dark brown and 17° F. cooler than a black one.
An extremely useful and ingenious whitewash and colourwash is in use
by the Military Dairy Farms in a number of places: Lucknow, Jubbulpore,
Jhansi, etc., in which skimmed milk from butter making is mixed with the
cement or whitewash producing a hard, cool, nonfriable surface which will
readily resist the onset of the monsoon. Milk-cement wash is a method of
treating the outer sides of all suitable buildings which is strongly recommended.
(v)
Reconstruction Quetta .—This has continued steadily and many portions
have been completed with subsequent clearing up of the builder's rubbish and
broken material which so favour the presence of the pestiferous sandfly.
The new type of jack-arch barrack designed locally for Indian troops appears
to be very good. The new lines of the British troops are good.
The British Military and Families hospitals were opened during the year
and are in many ways excellent. Experience has brought to light minor defects
due in part to the effort to provide for the intense cold of the winter and heat
of the Quetta summer. There are too many windows exposed to the sun in
important technical rooms and the red concrete walls absorb considerable
heat. Air conditioning of the operating theatre is satisfactory and similar
treatment is needed for the gynæcological and labour theatres.
It is very obvious that for any future occasion every detail of every, build
-ing should be critically reviewed from as many different points of view as
possible: for example, clerestory windows which cannot be cleaned; mosquito
proof doors which open inwards; a hospital with no communicating doors to
the administrative block; operating theatres festooned with pipes, heaters
and electric wires and a laboratory work room exposed to the direct morning
sun.
B. Anti-malarial methods.
Each year's reports show with what enthusiasm and skill anti-malarial
work is carried out in our military cantonments. Every aspect of the subjects
receives attention from trained and alert anti-malarial officers who with their
staffs work under the general direction of the S. E. M. O.
Occasionally criticism is heard that what is really needed for this or that
cantonment is a complete malarial survey. But in the majority of stations
the source of infection and of the infective mosquitoes is fairly accurately
known already and now steps have been taken to place the accumulated know
-ledge of successive anti-malarial officers in book form as a record in each sta
-tion. Orders have been issued for the maintenance of a looseleaf book em
-bodying the whole of the antimalarial work, schemes, maps, etc., for each
cantonment, so that this can be handed on from one generation of anti-malarial
officers to the next.
Three main methods are now our standby in all cantonments; the extent
to which each plays its part varies with the local circumstances.
(i) Permanent drainage with pukka drains is the ideal measure for any
area and in our cantonments has proved its value as the succeeding years add
to the amount which can be completed. The cost is heavy but is worth it,
if the drainage is properly carried out. Some stations such as Rawalpindi,