June 1907.] 



399 



Miscellaneous. 



Build your houses on open, elevated, long-cleared land if possible, let them 

 facing the prevailing wind, that you may obtain the full benefit of the evening 

 coolness ; do not lie about in wet clothes ; sleep under a mosquito net ; eat and drink 

 moderately ; work hard, but don't overdo it unless absolute necessity demands ; 

 Take every reasonable opportunity of getting away from the Estate— especially up 

 an hill— and when you get " played out " or really " seedy " look to it at once. 



Remember that malaria, bowel-complaints, and severe colds, are serious 

 diseases, and if undealt with frequently leave sequelae which neither money nor 

 science can deal with. Lastly wear flannel if you can. 



There are four fundamental necessities for the establishment of healthy coolie 

 lines : — 1. A pure water supply. 2. Adequate ventilation. 3. Some inexpensive but 

 efficient system of Sanitation in and around the lines. 4. Sound drainage. 



With regard to number I, if the well system be adopted of necessity, then 

 remember that the " circle of innueuce " is at least 20 yards, and that sewage con- 

 tamination has been traced to upwards of one mile, if the lines are permanent the 

 wells should be bricked inside and surrounded by a raised coping and a cemented 

 and graded circle of say ten feet from the coping all round, the water used* for 

 bathing or otherwise spilt should be run off to a distance, the well should be covered 

 and all water drawn by a pump. A simple method of testing whether a well is 

 contaminated by sewage in its vicinity is to pour a solution of fluorescin into the 

 nearest drain or cesspit and observe whether any fluorescince occurs in the well 

 water after 24 hours. 



All well and river water is the better for a passage through a clean dripstone 

 filter, but these filters when used casually without clean are a danger rather than a 

 method of purification. They should be periodically boiled and scraped, as fungi 

 are able to grow through their interstices and thus to contaminate good water ; the 

 water, if any serious doubt exists about its purity, should be boiled, and stored in 

 some clean place where dust cannot fall into it ; the tank or jar must be covered. 



Speaking generally the deeper the well the better, and if any hard stratum 

 exist in hills in the vicinity, artesian water may perhaps be struck at a reasonable 

 depth. Pure streams from the hills are probably the soundest water in this country ; 

 aqueducts of bamboo are cheap, and can be made over long distances satisfactorily 

 Always inspect the catchment area, All the rivers of this country are polluted to 

 some degree, and if river water is the only possible source of supply it must be 

 filtered and boiled. That portion of the river near the lines should be divided into 

 three parts : (1) An upper reach for the drinking and cooking water ; (2) A middle 

 reach for watering cattle ; (3) A lower reach for washing. 



If rain water is the only source of supply it should be stored in large under- 

 ground tanks, as at Gibraltar and other unfortunately situated stations. All tanks 

 and wells should be protected from the entrance of surface flood water, unless the 

 surface over which the water flows is above reproach, if on the addition of 4 ozs. 

 of permanganate of potash to an ordinary-sized well, the water does not become 

 and remain pink for about an hour, the water must be looked upon as doubtful, and 

 measures should be taken to further purify it or to have it analysed. The per- 

 manganate should be mixed in a bucket before being poured into the well. 



2. Ventilation. The question of ventilation involves little extra expense, 

 as obviously the less we place between ourselvelves and " God's good fresh air " the 

 less it will cost us in houses, and yet the better we shall be. The present kuchi is 

 wrong in principle— by the present kuchi, I mean the one which has a straight 

 attaped back, a short roof behind and a longer roof in front, under which is a 

 verandah where cooking, etc. is performed— its chief mistakes are 



{a) The roof is not high enough as a rule* 



