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because they did not realize that one good man on this work will keep 10 or
more good men out of hospital. The advantage of the method is that units
are trained to appreciate the work themselves, it can be continued in camp or
any new station, and the money saved on coolies provides ample means for
purchase of materials. It should be mentioned that success depended on a
keen station commander and a malarial officer who is an enthusiast.
At Fort Sandeman from May to November 16,303 anopheles were caught
of which 9,036 were A. stephensi ; they were considered to come from the Zhob
river. Aerial photography was used for malarial surveys.
Civil co-operation. —In a few places there are signs that civil authorities are
commencing to co-operate with cantonment military anti-malarial work with
consequent enlargement of the scope of the work. Railway authorities,
Brewery companies, certain enlightened District Boards and a few Municipal
authorities are amongst those who best co-operate. There is often however an
attitude of " Hands off our area ", due possibly to the fear that there will be
demands for money contributions.
F. SANITATION IN CANTONMENTS, BARRACKS AND CAMPS.
In general the sanitation in and around barracks is good except for primitive
methods of conservancy which exist in some stations. In cantonment bazaars
a measure of control is maintained. In bungalow areas conservancy is fre-
quently primitive and sanitation indifferent; but outside cantonments there
is usually, frankly no attempt at any sanitary control. In towns or villages
close to military areas the conditions of filth, fly breeding and faecal deposi-
tion are ample to account for any prevalence of intestinal and other infections.
This point was fully stressed last year, but appears again and again in all our
Hygiene reports. In Northern Command a long term programme of proposals
has been drawn up for each cantonment.
The sewage disposal plant at Thall has long been over loaded and with new
construction the project is in hand of putting the whole place on water borne
sewage with settling tanks and biological filtration. At Wana funds are
insufficient to allow the whole place to be put on water borne sewage, so a
septic tank system for latrine areas is being planned outside the perimeter.
In Eastern Command at Ranikhet a " sanitary improvement scheme " with
continuity in policy has been adopted to try to reduce the Dysentery-diarrhoea
incidence. An " aqua privy " has been adopted as an experiment. At
Calcutta the water borne sewage system has made good progress. At Fyzabad
special antifly measures were adopted which resulted in improvement of the
fly nuisance for which Fyzabad is notorious.
In Southern Command at Jhansi the proximity of the Municipal trenching
grounds to troops lines constitutes a potential danger and probably accounts for
the high incidence of dysentery amongst troops in this station. The purchase
of a new site is under consideration. At Poona the installation of water borne
sewage connected with the Municipal system appears to be no nearer, the
dispute is said now to have lasted 15 years.
In Western Independent District the Quetta sewage works have now been
in action 8 months with an average flow of 184,000 gallons. Difficulties have
been experienced with filters made of broken brick, because the settling tanks
were too large, and with the sludge disposal. These difficulties are being
overcome and the effluent is of high quality.