Indian hygiene and demography.

  • International Congress of Hygiene and Demography
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Indian hygiene and demography. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

    193/270 (page 189)
    The Prevention of Fever in India. BY Surgeon-General Sir William Mooke, K.C.I.E., Q.H.P. TNote.—This paper is reprinted from Volume I.] Fever throughout the lutlian Empire is the most prevalent of all maladies, and had time allowed, I would have prefaced my observations on prevention with some account of the phases of fever met witli in India. This, however, is impossible, so I at once proceed to prevention. The prevention of fever must be considered under two heads:— 1st. What can be done by authoritative sanitary I'egulations ? 2nd. What should be done in the matter of personal hygiene ? And it is desirable to consider these heads separatel}', as regards the Anglo-Indian resident, including the British soldier; and as respects tlie civil population. In European stations and military cantonments much has been accomplished. Surface cleanliness is now almost perfect. Before I left India I heard a laily complain, that if her goat went out it could not pick up a straw! In many cantonments maguilicent upper- storied barracks * have been built, generally with rooms for 12 to 25 men. Plunge baths, work and recreation rooms, have been provided, while conservancy arrangements — usually hand-work — are carefully supervised. In some stations better bungalows for officers have been built. Much, however, remains to he accomplished. For instance, the Queen’s Regulations for the Army state, that no man shall go to the tropics until thoroughly drilled ; practically this is not the case. Again, principally as a result of the short sendee system, men are sent out too young; and this, uotwithstaudiug repeated recom- mendations that they should not be sent out until 22 years of age, and notwithstanding the fact that young men in India are excessively liable to fever, especially to enteric fever, which is more fatal in Imlia than in Europe. Then the season of arrival in the tropics is (perhaps unavoid- ably) not always well chosen. Eor example, the “ Crocodile ” went out in the end of February last, and the “ Euphrates ” on the 9th of March, each having upwards of 1,000 troops on board. Next, arrangements should be made for men to be sent first to hill stations, or at least to selected stations, instead of their being invariably sent to the station where the regiment they are to join happens to be. A more free use should be made of the hills, especially for working-parties in the hot weather. * These barracks, being built on a standard plan, are rather a mistake. For no one plan of barrack or house is suited to every varying climate of India. The climate demands modifications, which have not been sufiiciently considered, or at least authorised.