SANITARY MEASURES. 
in with others, members of the same gang will pack 
into one room, until it is positively unwholesome, 
while perhaps, in the adjoining room, one or two will 
be' found by themselves, but they are a different set ; 
hence the packing in amongst their own people. 
W e heard an expression the other day, that the craze 
of the age was “sanitary measures.” We thought of 
the packing and crowding of coolies in huts, how they 
never at all events asked for medicines, and certainly 
how few the death cases were ; most decidedly, sickness 
was not so general or rather prevalent amongst gangs as 
it is now,*^ We provide stone walls, tile and shingle 
roof, plank doors actually on hinges, instead of the port- 
able grass one, and we provide medicine chests. Now, 
we by no means imply any satire or contempt for the 
comfort of the ccoly, quite the reverse, but we mean 
to assert that sanitary measures and sanitary reform 
does not always bring about or effect what it gives 
out. It is the same way in this country : dirt some® 
times seems healthy ! The healthiest parts of Edin® 
burgh, at least where the mortality is lowest, are the 
dirtiest most confined portions of the town, where the 
working people are packed and crowded, where there ii 
least air, and no pure air at all ! We met with a 
man the other day, in very poor health ; he had a great 
aversion to dirt in any shape, and gave out that he 
washed or bathed his whole body daily, and he would 
just as soon go out without washing his face as go 
without his general bath. “Weil,” says another, “what 
better are you of it ? Look at some of these strong 
fellows working close by ; let ’s ask them about it. 
Hard dirty work you are at : we suppose you take a 
good bath when you go home, after the day’s toil.” H© 
paused, rested his foot on his spade. “Na, na,” says 
he, “least whiles on a Saturday night I’ll wash my 
feet, and, if its vera warm i’ the summer time, take 
two or three rubs down in the burn. ” So that here 
was a case in which dirt was healthy and cleanliness 
the reverse, but very likely this case would not apply 
in a warm tropical country. With regard to personal 
cleanliness, although we ourselves have seen very dirty 
coolies in just as robust health as others who regularly 
bathed and washed, there can be no doubt that when 
disease does get amongst dirt it is apt to linger and 
become worse ; but that dirt causes disease is doubtful, 
as a rule. 
We have been in the resident management of some 
estates where it was determined to make the coolies 
♦ For once we must pronounce our correspondent 
utterly in th® wrong. Does he not remember the dread- 
ful times of 1847-49 ? — Ed. 
