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BENGAL PROVINCE, 1870.
For the first time the mortuary registers of this province show the mortality
registered from cholera among the civil population in 1870. The returns, how-
ever, are confessedly very imperfect and unreliable. Such as they are, however,
they are shown in the annexed tabular statement. As the monthly figures are
not available for all the districts, the provincial monthly tolals are unattainable.
The total number of deaths registered from cholera during 1870 among
the civil population of the province is given at 21,691. The ratio per mille of
population under registration is 0·70. The following particulars regarding the
cholera of 1870 in this province are gathered from the Sanitary Administration
Report for Bengal for that year.
Hawrah—No epidemic cholera prevailed; nine deaths, all sporadic cases,
are reported in December. Throughout the district food was aoundant and the
price of rice was low. Neither floods nor cyclones nor drought occurred during
the year.
Serampore.—Cholera was prevalent in the district almost every month dur-
ing the first half of the year, hut not in epidemic form. March, April, and May
were the most fatal months. About the middle of February the disease broke
out almost simultaneously at Bidiabatti and Astorah, and soon after at
Serampore and Kishtonagar, and then spread towards Chanditollah. In April
the disease declined but in December it re-appeared in Kishtonagar.
Hugli.—Sporadic cases of cholera were reported from several places during
the year, which is described as " far more healthy than usual." At the Tribani
fair, in March, only two cases of cholera occurred out of a congregation of
16,000 persons.
Nuddea.—Cholera prevailed over a great part of the district for many
months. It appeared first on 7th February in the district, and spread rapidly.
The total number of villages affected was 486—a very few cases occurred in the
large towns of Kishangarh, Santipur, and Ranaghat. The police reported the
number of those attacked at 4,657, and of deaths at 2,866. The Civil Surgeon
thought 2,000 might safely be added to the number of attacks and 1,000 to
the number of deaths reported.
Jessore,—The year is described as one " of unusual salubrity" in this
district. Only 64 deaths from cholera are reported to have occurred in the
last six months of the year.
Murshidabad.—Cholera appeared first at Berhampore in March, and prevail-
ed in that district during 7 months of the year. Deaths were reported from 21
registering circles in the district. The disease is usually absent in the district
from October to February inclusive.
Faridpur.—A severe form of epidemic cholera broke out in the district in
the beginning of the year 1870 ; it reached its height in March and April, by
which time it had spread pretty uniformly throughout all the registration
circles. " It is remarkable that while the district was more or less extensively
invaded all over by cholera during four months, not a single case occurred in
the jail during its continuance, although daily recruited by fresh admissions
from all quarters, as usual, throughout the invasion."
Bakirganj,—Epidermic cholera broke out in the villages of the island
of Dhakan Shahbazpur in December 1869, and continued till June 1870; the
number of deaths is estimated at 2,000. Fever was also raging at the time.
The rest of the district was unusually healthy. Only a few cases of cholera
occurred in Barisal itself.
Dhaka.—There was no epidemic cholera. It is worthy of record that this
year the inundations were high and unusually long continued.
Kachar.—Cholera appeared in May in the villages in the Hylakandy Valley,
where 85 cases with 35 deaths occurred. The village of Tarapur, close to the
station and on the Sylhet road, was next affected; there were 39 cases with
23 deaths. The meteorological conditions were also favourable for the develop-
ment and propagation of the disease, there being an excessive drought at the
commencement of the year:
Mymensing.—There were a few isolated cases of sporadic cholera in
different parts of the district, but no epidemic prevailed.
H