( 35 )
Statement showing admissions from cholera among the European and Native Troops and Jail
Populations in the Bengal Province, together with the strength of the Troops and jails in
the Province during each year of the series from 1854, to 1S68 inclusive, and the annual
rate of admissions per mille of strength.
YEARS.
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859
1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1S67
1868
EUROPEAN
Strength.
3,596
?
6,985
8,908
7,102
5,890
4,451
4,111
4,308
4,450
4,381
4,162
3,824
TROOPS..
Cholera
cases.
156
156*
320
290
329
56
24
18
20
23
28
7
17
NATIVE
Strength..
12,925
12,496
14,828
.....
8,038
7,767
4,420
4,603
6,510
8,207
9,488
! 9,500
5,650
7,476
TROOPS
Cholera
cases.
110
211
150
97
137
63
41
55
89
807
93
65
36
JAIL POPULATIONS.
Strength.
18,554
16,870
16,738
15,930
17,218
16.351
15,111
14,939
15,364
13,382
15,496
16,023
18,780
16,945
16,278
Cholera
cases.
467
882
792
739
711
686
1,393
588
367
1,072
652
416
1,415
363
289
TOTAL..
Strength.
31,479
29,206
35,162
P
23,203
33,297
29,980
25,249
24,418
24,003
28,OJ 1
29,961
32,661
26,757
27,578
Cholera
cases.
677
1,013
1,098
895
1,031
1,073
1,859
707
432
1,145
761
745
1,636
435
312
Rate per
mille of
strength.
18·3
34·6
31·2
66·2
44·4
32·2
62·0
28·0
17·7
47·7
27·2
24·9
47·0
16·2
12·4
» This number represents the deaths of the year, the number of admissions being unknown.
The presidency hospitals and troops marching—the strengths of which are
not known—are not included in the above statement. The death-rate for
1857 is calculated on the jail returns alone.
The above statement shows that during the four successive triennial periods,
from 1857 to 1868 inclusive, the cholera of Bengal in its general incidence
among the troops and jail populations of the province, has observed a very
remarkable regularity of rise and fall within each triennial period. In the
first year of each triennial period the disease has prevailed with epidemic violence,
during the second it has somewhat abated, and during the third it has sub-
sided to the minimum prevalance of the three-years period, or to the ordinary
cholera prevalence of the province. Thus the epidemic years of the series are
1857, 1860, 1863, and 1866; the ordinary years of the series are 1859, 1862,
1865, and 1868 ; the intermediate or abating years of cholera of the series
are 1858, 1861, 1864, and 1867. The figures for the first triennial period of
the series, 1854 to 1856 inclusive, do not show the same regularity; this is
probably to a certain extent due to the absence of the returns for the European
troops during the first two years of the triennial period ; but it is to be
observed on the other hand that the jail returns taken alone for this three-year
period yielded similar anomalous results. Thus the ratio per mille of strength
of the jail populations in the whole province is 25·2, 47·5, and 47·3 for the
years 1854, 1855, and 1856 respectively; Combined with the returns of the
native troops for the first two years of the triennial period they yield the
rates of 18·3 and 34·6 for 1854 and 1855 respectively, and in the third year
of the period, combined with the returns for the European troops also they
yieled the rate of 31·2. Probably the returns for the European troops during
1854 and 1855, were they available, would in a measure restore the regularity of
cholera prevalence in this three-year period and assmilate the results to the
ratios yielded by the succeeding triennial periods of the whole series.
As the figures stand, however, we find that in four out of the five succes-
sive triennal periods comprised between the years 1854 and 1868 inclusive,
there is a remarkable regularity in the rise and fall of cholera activity, and the
regularity is so uniform as to preclude the idea of accidental coincidence.
It would be interesting and important also to ascertain to what extent,
if to any, this regularity in the periodical or cyclical rise and fall of cholera
activity in the Bengal Province is connected with the annual rainfall. But
most unfortunately no data are available to show the characteristics of these
triennial periods in this respect. That there is a real connection between the
annual rainfall and the prevalence of cholera in Bengal, as in the other
provinces of India, there is no reason to doubt. On the contrary, general obser-
vation and popular opinion both strongly incline to the reality of a fixed and
determinate relation between the rainfall and cholera activity; but owing to
the absence of records, it is at present impossible to show what this relation is
F 2