( 2 )
7. The reports tend to confirm the conclusion's drawn from
previous reports, that the disease is more common among men than
women, and that the anæsthetic form of it is more common than the
tubercular or mixed.
No. 1112, dated Alipore, the 9th October 1878.
From—J. F. P. McCONNELL, Esq., M. B., Offg. Civil Surgeon, 24-Pergun-
nahs, Alipore.
To—The Offg. Surgeon General for Bengal, Calcutta.
IN reply to your memorandum No. 2562 of the 25th ultimo, inviting- early
attention to Surgeon General Beatson's Office Circular No. 134 of the 20th Decem-
ber 1876, I have the honour to state that, having but recently joined this appoint-
ment, and being therefore quite unacquainted with the district, I am unable
to furnish from personal observations or iuvestigatious the report on leprosy called
for. I can only submit (herewith) a statement compiled from records which have
accumulated in this Office during several months past.
2. The majority of these are in the vernacular, and consist of returns for-
warded by Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors of Police from the several sub-divisions,
thannahs, &c., of this district. These have not only been difficult to translate, but
also, from the very nature of the enquiry and the lack of proper knowledge or
education by the officials employed, are incomplete and not altogether trustworthy.
3. It is feared, for example, that the proportion of female to male lepers
reported is unduly small. Questions as to the influence of contagion or infection,
of peculiaritly in diet, of local topography, &c., in the propagation and prevalence
of the disease remain unanswered, and, from a careful perusal of the returns, it
seems probable that some cases of leucoderma and of secondary syphilis (eruptive
stages) have been mistaken for, and therefore included among the truly leprous.
Statement showing the prevalcnce of leprosy in the district of the 24-Pergunnahs.
Sub-Divisions.
I.— Sadr
II. — Dum-Dum
III.— Baraset
IV. — Barraekpore
V.— Diamond
(1)
Harbour.
(2)
VI. — Barriporo
(1)
(1)
VII. — Satkhira
(2)
Totals
77
17
G2
10
IS
02
5
5
17
4
286
61,114
13,808
62,231
34,177
Not stated
11,038
Not stated
2,412
Not stated
6,353
101,133
NUMBER OF LEPERS.
Male. Female. Total.
92
20
89
33
2-i
63
5
3
16
G
351
35
7
7
10
4
11
1
2
5
3
85
127
27
96
•13
23
74
0
6
21
9
430
•20
•19
•15
•12
.67
•20
.14
•22
9
?
12
9
G
13
1 None)
•)
....:: }
50
No peculiarity in diet or in
the topography of the sub-
division reported.
One case reported as leper
" from birth".
No peculiarity in diet or in
locality noticed in reports.
Ditto
ditto.
Ditto
ditto.
TV
Ditto
ditto.
Ditto
ditto.
J. F. P. McCONNELL, M. B.,
Offg. Civil Surgeon, 24-Pergunnahs.
No. 10, dated Bankipur, the 16th January 1878.
From—B. SIMPSON, Esq., M. D., Civil Surgeon, Patna.
To—The Deputy Surgeon General, Dinapore Circle.
IN reply to your memorandum No. 3017, dated 31st October last, forwarding
memorandum No. 4770 A, dated 26th October 1877, from the Surgeon General's
Office, I have the honour to state that the circular No. 134, on the subject of
leprosy therein alluded to, appears never to have reached this Office up to 3rd Nov-
ember last, on which date it was forwarded from your Office at my request. On
receipt of it I immediately wrote to the Assistant Surgeons in charge of the several
dispensaries in this district, and have the honour to annex their replies. That of
the Assistant Surgeon of Behar is of no value whatever, as he has apparently