H.—l9b

cent., and that of influenza and sore throats was a little less. The percentage of measles amongst the troops was, therefore, roughly— February ... ... ... ... 0-57 per cent. March and April ... ... ... 2-6 Ist to 26th May ... ... ... 2-75 62. It was on the 26th May that the Director of Medical Services recognized the outbreak to be now an epidemic. Three days after this fresh troops began to arrive in camp —viz., 2,200 men of the Trentham Regiment; and from the 14th to the 18th June, 1,673 men of the Seventh Reinforcements arrived, making, with troops already in camp, a force of over 7,000 men. 63. It has been stated that it was the arrival of this large number of men that was the cause of all the serious epidemic trouble. We, however, note that these new troops were quartered into an already infected camp, that the overcrowding in the hutments which then took place, and to which we shall hereafter refer, would favour the spread of the infectious disease, and tend to increase the virulence of the infection, and that the infectious disease was recognized to have reached the stage of an epidemic before the new troops arrived. 64. In this connection it must be observed that the Director of Medical Services in his evidence said that " some time in May " (in one place " early in May ") it became impossible to carry on the segregation camp, and after conference with the camp Medical Officers (now at the front) it was discontinued owing to the large number of measles admissions. It is doubtful whether the memory of the Director of Medical Services has not deceived him as to the date, as the information since given to us by the camp authorities is that the segregation camp was given up on the 31st March—that is, before Berhampore was opened. Therefore, certainly from " some time in May," and probably from the 31st March, actual measles contacts were not segregated. Up to this date contacts were alleged to have been segregated or quarantined for a period of twenty-one days. Therefore, taking " some time in May" as the date, the Trentham Regiment of 2,200 men, who arrived from the 29th to the 31st May, and 1,657 men of the Seventh Reinforcements, who arrived on the 14th to the 18th June, were quartered in a camp where an epidemic of measles was raging and where the segregation or isolation of contacts had entirely ceased. 65. An inquiry into what medical measures w T ere taken for the accommodation of the sick of the Trentham Camp shows that a camp hospital of two or three marquees was pitched early in the history of the camp. Beds were provided, and the sick men were treated by the Medical Officers on duty at the camp. All cases of serious illness were sent by ambulance to the Wellington Hospital, and only minor surgical and medical cases were treated in the camp hospital. 66. The arrangements with regard to Wellington Hospital require notice. Dr. Hardwicke Smith, then Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital, deposed that he made a verbal arrangement with the Director of the Medical Services that he would take as many military patients as he could into the Wellington Hospital. Dr. Hardwicke Smith stated that as far as he could remember he told the Director of Medical Services that fifty was the maximum number of beds available for this purpose, and that this number was for " all kinds of patients, infectious and otherwise." He further states it was understood, but not definitely arranged, that the Wellington Hospital was to act as a base hospital for the camp, and he proposed to take in all surgical or medical cases requiring hospital treatment. He also states that the Wellington Hospital could not accommodate more than thirty cases of measles at one time. Colonel Purdy, the Director of Medical Services, in his evidence stated, " I understood then that we could have put up to fifty beds. I thought that this was apart from the ordinary run of special cases, that never totalled more than twenty per month." He thought that the hospital would take in seventy patients per month, including measles and general medical or suspect cases. It is unfortunate that the " understanding " was not made more definite by Colonel Purdy. 67. Dr. Barclay, the present Superintendent of the Wellington Hospital, deposed that about the beginning of April there was " increased congestion in

Troops brought in after epidemic realized.

.Cffect of this.

Discontinuance of segregation camp.

Medical measures taken.

Wellington Hospital arrangementSi

Wellington Hospital filled.

XVIII