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the medical treatment of such cases as he sees upon occasional 

 visits to the estate hospital. It is of the greatest importance 

 thfit there should be a regular medical inspection of lines, drains, 

 latrines, water supply, any anti-malarial works that may be in 

 hand and all other sanitary arrangements. Of no less importance 

 is it that the coolies should from time to time be mustered 

 and inspected by the doctor. On estates where there is little 

 sickness a muster once a quarter is sufficient, but where there is 

 much n^alaria, in spite of the inconvenience inseparable from a 

 complete muster of the labourers, it is essential that the medical 

 adviser should see every cooly not less than once a month, by this 

 means alone is it possible for him to form an opinion as to the 

 general healtli of the labourers, the effectiveness of such preventive 

 sanitary measures as are in force or the necessity for further efforts. 



In addition to regular visits from a medical pi'actitioner it is 

 the custom _on larger estates to employ a dresser, a reliable man 

 should be engaged for his duties are important. The dresser should 

 be present at all musters, he should attend to the minor ailments of 

 the coolies and supply them with simple i^emedies. If a quinine 

 ration is given he must keep a quinine check-roll in which should be 

 included the names of all labourers, dependents, and children. 

 He must visit the lines not less than once a day to see that 

 they and their suri'oundings are clean and that the line sweepers 

 keep the drains and latrines in good sanitarj'- condition. Not 

 the least important duty of a di-esser is to account each day 

 for all labourers, especially any who are absent without leave from 

 the morning muster or working parties. All rooms should be 

 searched for sick labourers or dependants and every case of sickness 

 immediately I'eported to an assistant or the manager. A highly 

 skilled dresser is not necessary, he will be apt to keep sick coolies on 

 the estate under his own treatment and report them to the manager 

 only when their condition is beyond his efforts and not impi'obably 

 also those of the hospital staff. The dresser should find all coolies 

 who through illness are unfit to work and report them to the 

 manager, but the responsibility to obtain prompt hospital treatment 

 for the sick must rest upon the manager and cannot be shifted 

 to a dresser. 



Hospitals. 

 It is obligatory upon all employers of native labour to make 

 suitable aiTangements for the hospital accommodation of the sick. 

 In the tropics especially diseases are difficult of diagnosis and they 

 are usually rapid in their progi-ess, the treatment applied in the 

 first twenty-four hours frequently determines the issue of the case. 

 It is, therefore, essential from a humanitarian and not less so fi-om an 

 economical standpoint tliat prompt and skilful medical relief shall be 

 available for the sick. Where small hospitals are put up on each 

 estate they do not discharge these requirements, there can be no 



