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CEYLON BRANCH 



of the cases are due more or less to the imprudence of the men, 

 and cannot therefore in fairness be charged against the climate. 

 The most sickly year is that of 1846, when the average to one 

 hundred men is about 218 per month, giving to each man 

 about 26 days' sickness in the course of the year. 



It is remarkable that the salubrity of the station seems to 

 have been gradually and steadily decreasing during the last 

 few years, whether this be really the case, or whether this 

 apparent increase of sickness is caused by the men being more 

 rigidly required to come to and to remain in hospital when 

 sick. I am unable to say with certainty, but should think this 

 the more probable cause. If mistaken in this respect, I should 

 think at least a part of this sickness must be ascribed to the 

 existence of some pools of stagnant water immediately behind 

 the lines. 



As to mortality (the number of men stationed at Putlam 

 is too small to permit of any deductions being made) during 

 these eight years there have occurred, in a detachment averag- 

 ing 57*6 men, 5 deaths — 3 from cholera morbus, 2 from other 

 diseases. All the fatal cases of cholera have occurred during 

 October, and in no instance has fever been a cause of death. 



Though somewhat foreign to the subject of this paper, I 

 may here cursorily remark, that I have, by aid of the registers 

 placed in my hands, once more tested the world-wide, but yet 

 undoubtedly erroneous opinion, that the moon exercises an un- 

 explained yet all powerful influence over weather. This ancient 

 theory is indeed sufficiently disproved by the simple fact, 

 that the changes of weather in two places, by no means remote 

 from each other, may and often do preserve no parallelism 

 whatever. Accordingly, as might be expected, I find that the 

 decided changes of weather which occurred in Putlam during 

 eight years, took place without any definite order whatever ; 



