that the water delivered by the Calcutta water-works, has been frequently analyzed by the chemical examiner to Government during the past eighteen months, and pronounced by iiim to bo free from ; so that, as I have before ob-
impurities
remarkably
on the organic matter passed from a the disease, finding its way into our drinking water and thus posioning us, it follows that as the water we now consume is protected from such contamination, that our chances of cholera-infecting material should
served, if cholera depends
person
suffering
from
imbibing supposing,
be much diminished
:
of course,
we
drink the water as
the water company, and do not allow it to be subjected after being drawn from the mains to the bheesties' mussuclcs, or any other such prolific source of contamination. Tiie Calcutta water-works were opened to the public in January 1870, but practically they were only brought into delivered
by
the following April, because the natives at first refused to take the wuter from the stand-pipes, and it was laid on to few of our houses later in the year. Although there is reason to doubt the accuracy of the
operation during
I shall subsequently explain, nevertheless, statement of the number of deaths from cholera from year to year, they are valuable, and they afford us the most authentic account at our command of the mortality
following returns, as a comparative
as
from cholera in
Calcutta
during the past six years. The antique type indicate the number of deaths in Calcutta since the opening of the water-works. Statement of deaths from cholera reported by the Municipal authorities as having occurred in the toivn of Calcutta from
figures printed
in
18G6 to 1871.
CHOLERA IN CALCUTTA.
Surgeon
By 0. Macnamara, Ophthalmic Hospitals, Calcutta.
to the Chandnie and
it is very desirable we should of cholera among the inhabitants of Calcutta, because there can be no possible doubt that for years past the disease has existed in an ndemic form among the people of this city, and, as many persons believe that The
is
present
examine into the
a
time when
prevalence
cholera is frequently disseminated by our drinking water becoming contaminated with matter passed from a person suffering from the disease, it necessarily follows, if we are protected from accidents of this kind, our water-supply being religiously guarded from contamination, that cholera should in a great I say in a great measure, measure disappear from amongst us. because it is well known that many of the natives still drink water from wells and tanks situated within the town, and subject to any amount of defilement, and further, that the uiilk water drawn from the we consume is too often adulterated with most abominable sources ; consequently, supposing that cholera
through drinking water, we should expect that existing circumstances it would continue to manifest itself in Calcutta in spite of our water work just as a community could hardly be supposed to remain f ee of small-pox, is disseminated under
,
if
a
third
or a
selves of the
fourth of its members refused to avail them-
protection
afforded
by
vaccination.
the conditions of cholera among the inhabitants of Calcutta are peculiar at the pre' nt time with reference to the drainage works, now in progrebs here. The southern part of the town, which mainly constitutes " The City of Palaces,"
Again,
and is inhabited has lately been
by the European portion of the community, thoroughly and effectually drained, but drainage workt. "not as yet been commenced in the densely crowded nati, or northern portion of the city; consequently, the bulk of the population is now, in a sanitary point of view, in exactly the same condition as it was fifteen or twenty years of the advantages afforded ago, with the exception by the new water works, which supply a pure, constant and unlimited -amount of water to every part of the town. I may here remark
826 1193 736 616 885 552 491 343 330 257 103 126 591 360i 174 971 395 78 7461 693| 331 53
1S66 1867
3Sl! 165 118 50; 40
1870 1871
851 30
24
25
38
203 203 243 140 405 352 78 58
22 30 128 108
6S26* 2268 4178 3593 1560 790
It is evident, from these figures, that in 1870 the death-rate from cholera in this town was much below the average of the past thirty years, and that in 1871 it had fallen considerably lower than in any previous year on record. The question naturally arises,?is the diminished death-rate from cholera due to the supply of pure water provided for the inhabitants of the
place ? In our endeavour to solve this guard against reckless and unfounded statements, such for instance as those lately made in the Times of January 8th, 1872, when reviewing the report of the Imperial Sanitary Commissioner with reference to cholera, and our improved water* supply ; for we there find the following passage :?" The deaths
question,
we
from cholera in Calcutta in 1870 were little more than onelialf of what they were in the most favourable years, of which there is any record by referring to the records, however, of the six years given in our table, we find that in 1867 there were
Again, wo must bear in throughout the year 1870 cholera was by no Bengal, and, consequently, we might have
2,268 deaths against 1,563 in 1870. mind the fact that
prevalent in expected a low death-rate from the disease in Calcutta. Nevertheless, from the table above given, it will be observed that during the first four months of the year (the new water-works not having been brought into operation) that the deaths from cholera were more numerous than in the corresponding months of 1867 ; it was from May 1870, after the water-supply means
* The highest rate of mortality from cholera reported in Calcutta for series of thirty years. The average number of deaths from cholera for thirty years was 3,867 per anuum.
a
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
78 had
come fully into operation, that we notice the marked fall in tlie death-rate from cholera in Calcutta. But, it may be argued, the sudden decrease in the number of deaths in Calcutta
from cholera
was even more apparent in July 1869, before the water-works were established, than in the following May. This is perfectly true, but, if we refer to the records of the year 1869, we shall discover that the number of deaths from cholera had
for March, April, and May been respectively 760, 746 and 598 ; during the first eight days of June, 128 deaths were reported from this disease, bub on the 9tli of June a cyclone passed over the town, and no less than eleven inches of rain fell in the as many hours, flooding tanks, wells, and in fact the whole place out most effectually ; from the 17th to the end of June there were only 71 deaths from cholera, and the mortality remained remarkably low until the end of the course
of
washing
year, rising, however, very steadily during the first, four months of the following season. This fact, at first sight, seems to favour the theory which atributes cholera to meteorological to the history of the disease influences, but if we turn
again
discover that the cyclone of August 1868 hardly bears out this idea. On the other hand, this cyclone not only failed to influence the severity of the disease, but the deathrate from cholera actually rose higher within ten days of the in
Calcutta,
cyclone
we
of 1808, than it had reached
of the year.
(To
be
during
continued.)
any
previous day
[April 1,
1872.
impurities
remarkably
on the organic matter passed from a the disease, finding its way into our drinking water and thus posioning us, it follows that as the water we now consume is protected from such contamination, that our chances of cholera-infecting material should
served, if cholera depends
person
suffering
from
imbibing supposing,
be much diminished
:
of course,
we
drink the water as
the water company, and do not allow it to be subjected after being drawn from the mains to the bheesties' mussuclcs, or any other such prolific source of contamination. Tiie Calcutta water-works were opened to the public in January 1870, but practically they were only brought into delivered
by
the following April, because the natives at first refused to take the wuter from the stand-pipes, and it was laid on to few of our houses later in the year. Although there is reason to doubt the accuracy of the
operation during
I shall subsequently explain, nevertheless, statement of the number of deaths from cholera from year to year, they are valuable, and they afford us the most authentic account at our command of the mortality
following returns, as a comparative
as
from cholera in
Calcutta
during the past six years. The antique type indicate the number of deaths in Calcutta since the opening of the water-works. Statement of deaths from cholera reported by the Municipal authorities as having occurred in the toivn of Calcutta from
figures printed
in
18G6 to 1871.
CHOLERA IN CALCUTTA.
Surgeon
By 0. Macnamara, Ophthalmic Hospitals, Calcutta.
to the Chandnie and
it is very desirable we should of cholera among the inhabitants of Calcutta, because there can be no possible doubt that for years past the disease has existed in an ndemic form among the people of this city, and, as many persons believe that The
is
present
examine into the
a
time when
prevalence
cholera is frequently disseminated by our drinking water becoming contaminated with matter passed from a person suffering from the disease, it necessarily follows, if we are protected from accidents of this kind, our water-supply being religiously guarded from contamination, that cholera should in a great I say in a great measure, measure disappear from amongst us. because it is well known that many of the natives still drink water from wells and tanks situated within the town, and subject to any amount of defilement, and further, that the uiilk water drawn from the we consume is too often adulterated with most abominable sources ; consequently, supposing that cholera
through drinking water, we should expect that existing circumstances it would continue to manifest itself in Calcutta in spite of our water work just as a community could hardly be supposed to remain f ee of small-pox, is disseminated under
,
if
a
third
or a
selves of the
fourth of its members refused to avail them-
protection
afforded
by
vaccination.
the conditions of cholera among the inhabitants of Calcutta are peculiar at the pre' nt time with reference to the drainage works, now in progrebs here. The southern part of the town, which mainly constitutes " The City of Palaces,"
Again,
and is inhabited has lately been
by the European portion of the community, thoroughly and effectually drained, but drainage workt. "not as yet been commenced in the densely crowded nati, or northern portion of the city; consequently, the bulk of the population is now, in a sanitary point of view, in exactly the same condition as it was fifteen or twenty years of the advantages afforded ago, with the exception by the new water works, which supply a pure, constant and unlimited -amount of water to every part of the town. I may here remark
826 1193 736 616 885 552 491 343 330 257 103 126 591 360i 174 971 395 78 7461 693| 331 53
1S66 1867
3Sl! 165 118 50; 40
1870 1871
851 30
24
25
38
203 203 243 140 405 352 78 58
22 30 128 108
6S26* 2268 4178 3593 1560 790
It is evident, from these figures, that in 1870 the death-rate from cholera in this town was much below the average of the past thirty years, and that in 1871 it had fallen considerably lower than in any previous year on record. The question naturally arises,?is the diminished death-rate from cholera due to the supply of pure water provided for the inhabitants of the
place ? In our endeavour to solve this guard against reckless and unfounded statements, such for instance as those lately made in the Times of January 8th, 1872, when reviewing the report of the Imperial Sanitary Commissioner with reference to cholera, and our improved water* supply ; for we there find the following passage :?" The deaths
question,
we
from cholera in Calcutta in 1870 were little more than onelialf of what they were in the most favourable years, of which there is any record by referring to the records, however, of the six years given in our table, we find that in 1867 there were
Again, wo must bear in throughout the year 1870 cholera was by no Bengal, and, consequently, we might have
2,268 deaths against 1,563 in 1870. mind the fact that
prevalent in expected a low death-rate from the disease in Calcutta. Nevertheless, from the table above given, it will be observed that during the first four months of the year (the new water-works not having been brought into operation) that the deaths from cholera were more numerous than in the corresponding months of 1867 ; it was from May 1870, after the water-supply means
* The highest rate of mortality from cholera reported in Calcutta for series of thirty years. The average number of deaths from cholera for thirty years was 3,867 per anuum.
a
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
78 had
come fully into operation, that we notice the marked fall in tlie death-rate from cholera in Calcutta. But, it may be argued, the sudden decrease in the number of deaths in Calcutta
from cholera
was even more apparent in July 1869, before the water-works were established, than in the following May. This is perfectly true, but, if we refer to the records of the year 1869, we shall discover that the number of deaths from cholera had
for March, April, and May been respectively 760, 746 and 598 ; during the first eight days of June, 128 deaths were reported from this disease, bub on the 9tli of June a cyclone passed over the town, and no less than eleven inches of rain fell in the as many hours, flooding tanks, wells, and in fact the whole place out most effectually ; from the 17th to the end of June there were only 71 deaths from cholera, and the mortality remained remarkably low until the end of the course
of
washing
year, rising, however, very steadily during the first, four months of the following season. This fact, at first sight, seems to favour the theory which atributes cholera to meteorological to the history of the disease influences, but if we turn
again
discover that the cyclone of August 1868 hardly bears out this idea. On the other hand, this cyclone not only failed to influence the severity of the disease, but the deathrate from cholera actually rose higher within ten days of the in
Calcutta,
cyclone
we
of 1808, than it had reached
of the year.
(To
be
during
continued.)
any
previous day
[April 1,
1872.
