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cholera assumed an active form, and spread, but not rapidly; it prevailed
with the greatest intensity in the plantations at the foot of the hills, and thus
travelled over the new cart road into the hills, causing in its passage great
havoc in the tea plantations. On the 27th May the first case, ending fatally,
occurred in the bazar at Darjeeling in the person of a Mahomedan carpenter.
At the Civil Surgeon's recommendation the hut in which this man died was
burnt down the same night. The second, and last, case in the station was that
of a duftry, who was attacked the next day, and who was ascertained to have
had no communication with the people of the terai. The returns represent
only a portion of the cholera mortality in this district in 1872. This was
due partly to want of organization among the planters in collecting the data,
and partly to unwillingness on their part, due to fear of Government inter-
ference, to furnish a full return of deaths that occurred in their estates, * * *
also to the fact that wherever cholera appeared, the coolies ran away in large
numbers, and scattered themselves in the jungle. In connection with this out'
break it is stated that in two cases infants at the breast did not catch the infection
from their mothers, who were attacked by and died from cholera; that when
the huts in which the disease had broken out had been burnt down, the disease
disappeared from their locality. * * * The Civil Surgeon's report on this
cholera outbreak records 751 deaths in 10 of the tea plantations; the mortuary
statements of the year record only 205 deaths.
Julpaiguri.—The outbreak of cholera here was also credited to importa-
tion by the cooly corps which was disbanded at Julpaiguri in April, the men
finding re-employment in the tea gardens at Kurseong and the Terai. The
mortuary returns, however, show the disease to have been present in this
district from the commencement of the year. The first case in the station
of Julpaiguri occurred on the 17th May, and on the following day the
disease appeared in the jail.
Faridpur.—The cholera which was prevailing at Goalando, Kasami, and
other places in the preceding December, continued active during January 1872,
and caused considerable mortality. The disease prevailed with greater
intensity in the south, where the river water which was being used by the
people, was at that time stagnant and rendered noxious by the bathing and
washing of clothes in it. The Commissioner was of opinion that the
occurrence of the disease was inevitable owing to the misery that had been
caused by the inundation, and that it was surprising that its attack was not more
destructive. By the end of 1872 the disease had become diffused throughout
the district, and prevailed with considerable virulence during the last week of
the year ; 360 deaths were reported,
Dhaka.—Contrary to the experience of the preceding four years, the district
at large was singularly free from the ravages of cholera in 1872, excepting in
November and December. The first case in the city of Dhaka occurred on
the 21st March; on the 15th April four more cases with three deaths; no
more cases were heard of at this time nor in May, although the great bathing
festival of the Brahmaputra had collected at a place 15 miles east of the city
many thousands of pilgrims from different and remote parts of Bengal. In
June and July a few cases were heard of, and in August and September
there was an outbreak with 16 deaths among a number of coolies who had
come from Monghyr for labour at the jute factories; the outbreak among
them was attributed to excessive overcrowding, bad food, inordinate eating
at unusual hours, and polluted water; the disease then spread all over the
city, and continued rife till the close of the year. Children were attacked in
much greater numbers than adults, and although rare in occurrence in other
years, more than one member of a family suffered at the same time during this
year. The Civil Surgeon, Dr. Wise, writes—" Natives of the city implicitly
believe that rain in November postpones the annual outbreaks of cholera, and
my experience corroborates this opinion."
Bakirganj.—Cholera is really endemic in this district, and appears to
travel from north to south and back again. It is usually heard of as
advancing in the beginning of the cold season from Dacca into the northern
villages of Bakirganj, increasing in intensity and continuity in December, and
abating in virulence with the setting in of the warm-weather and the south-
winds.