PART IV.] Prevalence of Scurvy in Severe Malariotts Seasons. 



675 



64. It is quite clear that the scales of diet in force previous to the introduction 

 of what was termed the Conference scale were exceedingly high ; even the " under three 

 months " convicts received a considerably more liberal supply of food than is contained 

 in the maximum scale sanctioned for either penal or other convicts in England. The 

 Conference scale which was devised was by no means deficient in nutriment ; taking 

 the average of the wheat and jowar-diet days, when compared with the scales of the 

 English Local Prisons, it will be found that the difference is not great. 



When the difference in the weight of the two races is considered, and, possibly 

 also, the amount of hard labour undergone (for, as a whole, the above scale is higher 

 than the dietary of penal convicts even), there can be little hesitation in saying which 

 of the two classes of prisoners were most liberally dieted. 



65. This Conference scale was introduced into the several jails at various dates 

 towards the end of 1879, but was set aside owing, apparently, to an outbreak of 

 "sculrvy" during the later months of 1880 in two out of the six jails — at Amraoti and 

 Akola. The diet had been adopted at the Amraoti Jail in August 1879, and the first 

 admission into hospital from "scurvy" took place in August 1880, an interval of just 

 one year. At Akola the diet was introduced on the 1st October 1879 ; 1 case of 

 scurvy was admitted in June (just 9 months after the new diet had been in force) ', 

 2 in August, 10 in September, 11 in October, 15 in November, and 4 in December. 

 During 1878, when the former exceptionally liberal diet was in force, 106 admissions 

 from scurvy were returned from this same jail. It does not therefore seem probable 

 that the scurvy outbreak of 1880 can with any show of reason be attributed to deficient 

 food. It may be mentioned that the disease frequently returned as " scurvy " in this 

 country is by no means uncommonly met with in well-to-do and well-fed people during 

 exceptionally severe malarious seasons. Like most other diseases, its character is 

 aggravated from insufficient or improper food, but very severe forms of it have often 

 been noticed when no question as to insufficient food could be entertained. 



66. In March 1881 another scale of diet was introduced, the ingredients in which 

 and their approximate nutritive value will be found given in the table above referred 

 to (para. 63). This diet scale contains 10 grains of nitrogen and 124 of carbon more 

 than the maximum diet given to labouring prisoners in England. 



