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in the preceding year, and assumed still greater intensity. Diarrhoea also, and
dysentery, were very prevalent and fatal this year. In January, February,
and March cholera was prevalent in the tea plantations at the foot of the
hills, and in April extended to Kurseong and the vicinity of Darjiling; all
this time the disease was prevailing severely in the Terai, which it never
left till the cessation of the epidemic generally. In May there was a decided
and general increase of cholera, and in June the disease attained its
maximum intensity and most fatal type, spreading all over the whole
district, but lessening in the plains and increasing in the hills. Of the 910
deaths registered in June, 509 occurred in Kurseong, 199 in Darjiling, 82 in
Kalimpong, and the remainder in the Terai. In the civil station of Dar-
jiling, the first case occurred on the 11th June, but the disease never got
much hold on the sanitarium, the few cases that occurred being of a sporadic
character, and only 11 of them proved fatal. With the heavy rains of July a
great and general improvement took place, and early in August the disease
quite disappeared. The mortuary returns show that 1,734 deaths occurred
during this outbreak, but Dr. Purves is of opinion that only about half the
actual mortality was recorded. On the subject of the diet of the working-
classes he says :—" If no better present itself, the veriest carrion is devoured,
and human beings, birds, and beasts have boon seen fighting over the same
carcase. * * * They seldom miss a chance of gorging themselves with
food, putrid or otherwise, and probably follow this up by getting drunk and
lying out all night in the cold and damp." Regarding the cholera in the
tea plantations, it is stated., that the immunity of the Europeans living in
the midst of this epidemic was remarkable, although they attended the sick
and buried the dead. This, Dr. Purves ascribes to good accomodation, suit-
able food, good drinking-water and clothing, and attention to the general
laws of sanitation. With regard to the conditions of life of the poorer
classes who live on coarse, deficient, and innutritions food, Dr. Purves
noticed that the habitations of the labouring classes, particularly of the coolies
in the gardens, were crowded together; that too many lived in one house;
that the houses were surrounded with filth; that conservancy in the cooly
lines was limited, the refuse and filth being left undisturbed; that the
discharges of those who were attacked by cholera were allowed to saturate
the floor of the houses, or were thrown outside near the huts.
Jalpaiguri.—During the first three months of 1876 cholera was present in
a very mild form; in April it gradually assumed an epidemic form over an
extensive area; in May it prevailed very severely; and in June it reached
its maximum intensity in extent and fatality. In August it declined, and
from September to December there was great immunity from the disease.
Altogether the cholera of 1876 was less severe in this district than in 1875.
It is stated that movements from an affected locality invariably checked if it
did not entirely put a stop to the spread of the disease, and that the poorly-
fed suffered the most.
Dhaka.—The cholera mortality of this district in 1876 was nearly double
that of the preceding year. The outbreak of the disease in October 1875
continued to rage almost all over the district up to the end of January
1876. In February it declined to a great extent, but in March and April
its virulence increased, and it continued to prevail epidemically until the
middle of May. It was less prevalent from June to September, but prevailed
again in October and lasted up to the close of the year, November and
December being months of great suffering. The whole district suffered, and
the mortality in its 15 circles of registration was very severe. The Civil
Surgeon believes that the lesser prevalence of the disease during the months
from June to September than at other times of the year was due to the
inundation which took place in the southern and part of the northern portions
of the district during this period.
Faridpur.—In this district 1876 was a year of unusually excessive
prevalence of cholera, and also of great fatality, the death-rate having risen
from 2·17 to 9·32 per 1,000 of population. Here also the cold weather out-
break of 1875 continued on to January of this year. In February it declined,
but in March and April it prevailed epidemically. From May it commenced
to decline and continued to do so rapidly up to September. From June to
Q