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the outbreak are available. In the town of Bankurah cholera appeared in
March. In December the disease was prevalent in Bishanpur, where 17 died
in three weeks.
Beerbhum.—Cholera prevailed in every month from January to August
inclusive; 1,173 attacks with 838 death were reported.
Rajmehal.—No information available.
Sonthal.—On the 7th February, two days before the great day of the
Shibrât festival at the temple of Byjnath in Deogarh, a woman, a resident of
the town, was attacked with cholera and died after 13 hours in hospital.
On the llth a pilgrim who had been suffering from diarrhoea for four
days on the road was brought to hospital in a state of unconsciousness;
he died after a few hours. Prom this time the disease continued to pre-
vail in the town till the 21st or 22nd, when it abated. About the middle
of March fresh cases again occurred, and in a few days the disease prevailed
virulently in the filthiest parts of the town. At the end of April the disease
spread to the villages around and became general, and also attacked the
coolies working on the railway. About the middle of May it gradually
subsided, but in September re-appeared again in different parts of the district.
The disease prevailed most severely when the weather was cloudy and drizzly.
In Deogarh there were 251 cases treated, with 74 deaths. The number of
deaths in the district is unknown.
Manbhum.—Cholera was prevalent generally throughout the district
during every month, from January to October 1869. At Purulia the first
case occurred on the 3rd February, the last on the 22nd June. There was a
sharp outbreak in a village about a mile distant between the 13th and 22nd
February, there being 27 attacks with 19 deaths. At Purulia 27 deaths
occurred in the town, and one among the police—148 strong—on 23rd June.
The following deaths in the district from 21 registering stations were reported
by the police:—
Months.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Deaths.
4
18
51
31
73
38
64
Months.
August
September
October
Total
Deaths.
8
24
10
321
Singbhum.—There was no epidemic in 1869.
Hazaribagh.—The police reported a total of 1,075 deaths from cholera
throughout the district in 1869. The large and filthy city of Echak, where
cholera usually prevails with great fatality, this year escaped altogether.
The large town of Chattra, however, about 38 miles west of Hazaribagh, which
was free from the disease last year, has this year suffered rather severely.
The first case of cholera in 1869 was reported on the 1st March at the
village of Bugdah, 50 miles south-east of Hazaribagh, on the borders of Man-
bhum district. Cases were reported from the district till the 19th March,
when a constable, who had been on guard at the central jail, was attacked. He
was taken to the hospital and died soon after admission. On the 22nd a
resident of the town of Hazaribagh, who had returned 12 days previously from
Gya, was seized with the disease. On the 3rd April cholera broke out at
Barú, 52 miles east of Hazaribagh, and was said to have been introduced by a
marriage procession from Khetu, a village in the same sub-division; but it was
not determined that the disease was prevailing at Khetu. The man in whose
house the marriage was celebrated was the first to die, and after him one of
his relatives. The majority of those who died during the three days that the
disease prevailed were of the weaver caste. From 20th April to 13th July
there was a lull in the prevalence of the disease. It was then reported to
be raging in different parts of the Pugarh sub-division. A few cases were
reported in August; and on the 14th October two constables died at Hazari-
bagh, after which no other case appeared. It has been ascertained that the
whole of the police guard drank water from a polluted source, the use of which
had long been forbidden, but only two men were attacked. They had fasted
G