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these. Although the town of Calcutta was comparatively free from cholera
in December, the disease was present in some of the suburbs; and in
Bhowanipur especially a good many cases occurred throughout the month;
and a very distinctly marked house-epidemic took place in the house of a Babu,
in which 1 case occurred on the 22nd December, 2 on the 23rd, 2 on the
24th, and 3 on the 26th. Of the 8 cases, 4 proved fatal. During the latter part
of December also severe outbreaks occurred in the Howrah district and in
villages near Atchipur and Budge-Budge." * * * During December
only 3 cases of cholera—all sailors from vessels, situated in different parts
of the river—were admitted in the General Hospital, viz. 2 on the 29th and
the third on the 31st December. A case of cholera also occurred in Elysium
Row on the 27th December. The circumstances of the outbreak in Russell-
street are as follows :—On the 23rd December a Mr. Tracey, his wife, and a
Madrasi man-servant came to the boarding-house from the mission establish-
ment at Bhowanipur, were they had been previously residing. No cases of
cholera had occurred on these premises either before they left, or in fact up to
the time the committee made their report. The first case at the boarding-
house was that of Mr. Tracey, He fell ill on the 26th December 1871 at
6 A.M., but thought that it was only one of his usual dyspeptic fits. After
breakfast he went out with his wife shopping, and returned at 1 P.M., still
feeling unwell with purging; vomiting soon came on, and at 5 P.M. he was
fast passing into collapse, from which he never rallied ; he died at 10-30 A.M.
the next day. His wife was taken ill on the evening of the 27th December,
and returned to the missionary institution at Bhowanipur. She suffered
from cholerine, checked by full doses of liquor opii sed: and diluted sulphuric
acid, and ultimately recovered. The Madrasi servant, who ate and drank
the same food and water as his master, was also attacked with cholera at
No. 4, Russell-street on the 27th December. He ultimately recovered, and
was the only native about Mrs. Herring's premises affected by the disease.
A Mrs. Hendman, residing on the top flat of No. 5 Russell-street, was
with Mr. Tracey during his illness on Tuesday afternoon, throughout the
subsequent night, and on Wednesday morning until his death. * * *
She felt ill during the night, but no symptoms of cholera began until she got
home on the 27th; she recovered. Mrs. Wimberley, living on the lower floor
of No. 3, Russell-street, was attacked with cholera on the 27th December, and
recovered. Archdeacon Pratt, who lived on the second floor of No. 5, Russell-
street, left Calcutta on the night of the 25th, and proceeded to Ghazipur. He
arrived there at 10 P.M. on the 26th; was attacked with cholera on the
forenoon on the 27th; and died on the 28th. In all there were six cases of
cholera and two deaths.
The immediate neighbourhood of Nos. 3, 4, and 5, Russell-street, in which
the cases occurred, has been free of the disease, so far as the European inhabit-
ants are concerned, for months past. These three form a boarding establish-
ment under the management of Mrs. Herring, who lives in No. 5 Russell-street,
and from a kitchen in this house the food and water are supplied to all the
lodgers on the establishment. These premises are situated in a healthy and
well-drained locality; and the only feature apparently distinguishing the houses
from the others in the immediate neighbourhood is to be found in their water-
supply ; water is not laid on in them, but is brought in from the nearest
stand-pipes. This is done by two bhisties, who bring water to all three
houses in their mussuks. * * * The milkman supplying milk to the estab-
lishment also lives in Bhowanipur. * * * Very many of the houses
throughtout Chowringhi are supplied by milkmen living in the same suburb.
* * * Immediately to the rear of the huts in which these milkmen live
there is one of the dirty tanks so common to the suburbs of Calcutta, * * *
and it is almost certain that the milk supplied by the milkman contained the
water of some tank.
Nuddia.—A few cases of cholera, needing no remarks, occurred in this
district in the same localities which had been previously affected by fevers
In the district generally the disease prevailed sporadically, but in several
parts it assumed an epidemic form in continuance of an outbreak in the
preceding December, which did not finally subside till the end of April 1872,
The circles of Bongaon, Ranaghat, and Birnagar were most severely affected.