A report on barracks and hospitals : with descriptions of military posts / War Department, Surgeon General's Office.

Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A report on barracks and hospitals : with descriptions of military posts / War Department, Surgeon General's Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    95/568 (page 51)
    The above facts lead to the conclusion that abundant, though not the best, means of ventila- tion have been provided for the cadets' barrack; that the chimney-flues alone are generally suffi- cient of themselves to renovate the air; but that it would be unsafe to close them even partially, unless at the same time means are provided for the escape of products of combustion independ- ently of the general ventilation of the room. Bathing facilities are extensive. The privies and urinals, though at present slightly out of repair, are commodious and well arranged; they discharge by a sewer into the river. The engineer barrack, built in 1858, is a brick building of two stories and a basement, 103 by 43 feet. It fronts north, having an eligible site, with free access of air, on an open terrace about 300 yards from the river. The basement contains the kitchen, dining-room, and store-rooms. The first floor has two sergeants' rooms, each 14 by 14 feet, and three squad-rooms, each 30 by 18 feet, and 12 feet high. Each squad-room is fitted up with double bunks in two tiers for twelve men, giving 530 cubic feet air space to each. The ventilation is by doors and windows. For the general arrangement of the engineer barrack see Fig. 8. 1. Basement.—B, bath-room; H, hall; K, kitchen; M, dining-room; S, store-rooms. 2. First floor.—A, squad-rooms; C, sergeants'room ; S, store-room; H, hall; O, officers'quar- ters. The cavalry barrack, 57 by 41 feet, two stories high, of brick, with a stone basement, was erected in 1857. The artil- lery barrack, 40 by 30 feet, was built soon alter, on a similar plan. The kitchens, mess-rooms, and store-rooms of both bar- racks are large and convenient. The squad-rooms of the cavalry barrack have single bunks for 84 men, giving to each 371 cubic feet and 55.] superficial feet of space. The artillery barrack has single bunks for 58 men, giving to each 434 cubic feet and 39 superficial feet. The means of ventilation in both are doors and windows. CADETS' HOSPITAL. c 0 - A A H □ 1 M ~1 H 1 J r Fk -Scale, 50 feet to 1 inch. The hospital for cadets, built in 1830, 131 by 40 feet, is a stone building, fronting east and overlooking the river, of two stories and a basement. The two wings are used as quarters of medical officers. The central portion contains twelve rooms, two being used as quarters for the steward, two for dispensary, one as an office, and the remaining seven as wards for the sick. Two of the latter are 32 by 1,1.] by 10 feet, one 28.] by 14] by 10 feet, and the other five 10 by 14]- by 10 feet. The two largest wards are partially divided by partition walls. For general arrangement of the hospital see Fig. !». 1 represents the first floor, 2 the second floor of the building; A, wards; B, bath-rooms; I), dispensary; E, steward's quarters; P, veranda; O, medical officers' quar- ters; M, dining-room. Allowance is made for L'O patients—about 8 per cent, of the corps—thus giving to each 1,100 cubic feet, and 110 superficial feet of space. The means of ventilation are doors, windows, transoms, and chimney-flues; of heating, open grates. The bathing-rooms are supplied with hot and cold water, and there are three water closets, the latter discharg- ing into covered cesspits in the rear; two privies in the yard likewise discharge into cesspits. The basement of the build- ing contains store-rooms, quarters of attendants, and two kitchens, each of the latter being furnished with a cooking range. Food is conveyed from the kitchens to the (lining- Fig. 9.-Scale, 60 feet to 1 inch, room by means of a dumb-waiter. While this is far from being a model hospital, either in internal arrangement, access of air and sunshine, ventilation, or drainage, the records do not show that any exceptions have ever been made to its sanitary condition—due, no doubt, to the tad that the number of sick in hospital is usually small and the ailments slight.