108 BULLETIN 414, U, S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



who has the disease in his system, so the importance of this method 

 of prevention is apparent. 



PREVENTION OF MALARIA BY THE DAILY ADMINISTRATION OF SMALL QUANTITIES OF 



QUININE. 



This method of preventing malaria often may be useful in camps 

 which are estabhshed in malarial regions for short periods of time, 

 but it does not take the place of measures for mosquito suppression. 

 From 2 to 3 grains of quinine sulphate daily is the generally accepted 

 amount and often accomplishes good results. 



SANITATION OF QUARTERS. 



Overcrowding of Sleeping Quarters. 



The quarters of a few permanent camps visited were so arranged 

 as to provide space enough between the rows of bunks for chairs and 

 reading tables; but in the great majority of camps visited the 

 sleeping quarters were badly overcrowded, the general rule being to 

 squeeze in as many men as the structures could be made to accom- 

 modate. At some of the camps there were no spaces whatever 

 between the beds, and the faces of the sleeping inmates could never 

 be more than 30 inches apart and might be in actual contact, a con- 

 dition highly favorable to the spread of communicable diseases. In 

 other cases men were crowded into shacks or tents in triple-deck 

 bunks, or bunks of double width for two men were placed side by side 

 or in double tiers, and other camps were seen in which all the regular 

 bunks were occupied and extra ones were provided by placing mat- 

 tresses over boards laid across beams at the level of the eaves, so 

 that the men slept in the space formed by the pitch of the roof. 



The worst cases of overcrowding occur in the cages which are some- 

 times used for housing convicts. These cages, mounted on wheels, 

 are from 7 to 8 feet in width and height and from 12 to 18 feet in 

 length and closely resemble the cages in which wild animals are 

 driven through the streets in a circus parade. They are fitted with 

 bunks in three tiers which extend along both sides of the cage, 

 leaving an isle 2 or 3 feet wide down the middle. The bunks are 2^ 

 feet in width and 6 feet long, so that 18 men can ordinarily he placed 

 in a cage 18 feet long. A cage was seen in which two men slept in 

 each single bunk, an example of overcrowding scarcely to be imagined. 

 In this instance 49 cubic feet of air space and 7 square feet of floor 

 space was the allowance which each man would receive if the cage 

 were entirely unfurnished, but the actual space was considerably less, 

 owing to the presence of a stove, toilet seat, bimks, and bedding. 

 This particular cage in its original construction had a steel grating 

 on both sides, so that the air could circulate freely through it, but 

 when observed the entire cage had been inclosed in a tight casing of 



