CHOLERA IN THE BENGAL PRESIDENCY DURING 1871. Feoji information that the

have been able

we

following places,

ing districts of Bengal, have been the past sis months :?

Morar, Rajmehal

slight, ?

Bhaugulpore

,, ?

Melapore

?

8th

Jehaaabad (Hooghly)

Hazareebaugh

12th

Feby.

16th ,,

Hurdui

,,

to collect, it appears probability the surroundaffected by cholera during

and in all

Shahabad,

?

Mutteehari

,,

Tirhoot,

slight, severe

Dacca

March.

23rd

?

Rungpore

?

Patna.

31st

,,

April.

?

12th

,,

?

slight,

Monghyr Cawnpore

Burranughur (24-perghs.),, ? Muckdoompore (Gya) 16th April. Benares, ,, severe, 10th

May. June.

,,

May. 24th

,,

17th

?

,, ,,

June.

>>

it

slight,

May.

Burisaul,

slight

22nd

?

Delhi, Jaunpore

Gowhatty,

severe

?

,,

Chunar

,,

?

A j mere

?

,,

>>

Durrung

?

,,

,,

Cachar

Garrow Hills

,,

?

,,

Dum-Dum

Beyond

the confines of this

6th June.

,,

April and May.

Presidency,

June.

,,

we

hear of

a severe

outburst of cholera among the men of the 18th Hussars, at Secunderabad. It appears that the disease broke out in this

May, at 3 a. m., and it is reported hours, out of a strength of 400 men, some eighty cases of cholera had occurred, of which thirty-six died (Friend of India, p. 695, 1871). We are sorry we can obtain regiment

on

that within

no

the 25th of a

few

authentic account of the circumstances of this terrible out-

burst of the disease to lay before our readers. While cholera has thus been spreading to

a

greater

or

less

extent over very many of the districts of Bengal, we find that the inhabitants of Calcutta have been comparatively free from the disease.

Dr. C. Macnamara in

drew attention to the fact, that whereas five years the deaths in Calcutta from

our

during

the

last issue

previous

cholera have amounted

average to about

1,784, during the first four months of period of 1871, we had only We may add that, throughout the month of May, 1871, (the worst season of the year for cholera in Calcutta,) only 30 deaths have been recorded from this disease, against an average of 497, for the years on an

the year, in the corresponding lost 286 people from this disease.

1866-69. In

connection with this

remarks a

subject,

we

would refer to some

made in the Lancet of the 13th of

communication

lately addressed by

May, regarding

Dr. Macnamara to Mr.

Simon, on the circumstances of cholera in Calcutta; the former gentleman calls attention to a diagram forwarded with his

letter,

in which he

daily number of deatiis during the past five years, with me.eorological observations for corresponding days. The point of Dr. Macnamara's argument is, that, with data such as these before him, it were well worth Mr. Simon's while to urge on Government the necessity of watching narrowly the progress of cholera among the inhabitants of Calcutta, because they have lately been supplied with admirable water ; the circumstances of the majority of them in other respects being unaltered, the rise or fall of the death-rate from cholera in Calcutta, therefore, becomes a test of the theory which supposes that the disease is disseminated cliiefy by means of contaminated drinking water. The bearing of this importfrom cholera in Calcutta

shows the

July 1, ant

REVIEW.

1871.]

argument, in fact the whole substance of Dr. Macnamara's

communication,

is

entirely ignored by

above referred to, and

a

the writer in the Lancet

few obvious mistakes in dates which

palpable to any one reading the text of the letter question, are handled in a manner which leads us to believe that this criticism was inspired rather by a love of hypercritical carping, than by a desire to afford the readers of the Lancet a fair idea of the scope and object of the paper under con-

must be in

sideration. For example, very hard words are written about in which Dr. Macnamara (not given, usually, to fine allowed himself to state services to

be in

true,

or

passage

writing,)

rather

ornately that the medical as they might and ought the systematic investigation of cholera. This is either are

not utilized

as

much

not true, and if true, the manner in which

and fatal a

a

a

blunder in the

paltry subject

study

so

serious

of cholera is

of comment, beside the

exposed, is surely blunder itself, and

if not true, it matters little whether the mode of expression is metaphorical or not. We here support the truth of what Dr. Macnamara

has

stated, aud advocate a general united effort, instead of the partial, exclusive and we must say feeble work which is now being done. Dr. Macnamara gives the reasons which moved him to refer his researches to Mr. Simon, and although we are not sure that we agree with him on this point, still the subject is a matter of opinion, and certainly no cause for a display of feeling such as that above referred to. We are quite aware that a few of the rising surgeons in London?men whose views would probably have been much enlarged and improved by a little experience of the world beyond London, are nevertheless under the impression that those labouring without and harmonious

the sound of Bow Bells in their ears,

are

at best but poor

We would venture to advise critics of this

stamp, accusing others of inaccuracy, at any rate to be careful of the grounds upon which their own statements are founded. For instance, in the very first paragraph of the notice in the Lancet of the 15th May, we find it stated that Dr. Macnamara is a thorough going believer in the contagiousness of cholera," whereas that gentleman's own words on the subject are " cholera is not transmitted from man to man by contact the writer in the Lancet observes,?"we should be glad to encounter an array of facts in place of assertions j" if he had only condescended to study the document he ventures to criticise, he would have found an array of facts and figures, bearing on the past and future of cholera in the very heart creatures.

before

"

"

of its endemic area, which would have of most men, unless

satisfied the minds

had either

pre-judged the case, or spirit contrary to that which seems to us should influence those who profess to represent the views of scientific enquirers, for the edification of their professional brethren. they

determined to handle it in

a

Deaths in the Central Provinces.?The death-rate for March -was, per 1,000,? Cholera 0 0, small-pox 0 0, fevers 0'8, bowel complaints 01, injuries 0 02, all other causes

0'17 ; total 1*2. There were 33 deaths from suicide (15 males and 18 females), 12 from wounds (8 males and 4 females),

86 from accident (49 males and 37 females), 33 from snakebite and wild animals (19 males and 14 females). Popula-

tion, 6,701,239.

741

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