Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-11-24
The Cholera in Assam.

.Eessrs Editors:
The approach of the cholera to
our shores vividly reminds me OF personal expe-
renee with this disease during residence often
years in assam, India. The past history Of this
pestilence shows its yirulence, its secret yet
steady marches from India as a centre, until il
encircles the earth, its mysterious origin, and
its decline only as its force is consumed. 1t has
probably been disease more or less epidemical
in India for ages, but its ravages have not pro-
minertly taken part in historical records, I'M
til as recently as the early part of the present
century.
In May 1877, In the District of Nuddea, India,
the cholera broke forth with before unknown vi
olence, in a short time it had ravaged all India
Its march was at first steadily eastward across
Burmah, Siam, China. and had reached the Paci-
fc as soon as 1919 Afterwards the disease
turned to its westward journey, arriving at Ara
bia in '2l, in Russia in '23, where it fingered
several years, renewing its progress in 81,
reaching England in 81, and this country in
'3S.
The cholera took similar march commencing
in India in IA and arriving here in 40 Its pro-
gress without doubt is hastened by commerce,
yet this alone Is not sufficient to account for its
appearance always.
The general season for cholera in India Is
during the fairest portion of the entire year. No
climate can be more delightful than that of As
sam, from November to March. Very little or no
rain falls during those months heavy fog
gathers every morning and hangs over the land
until or 10 O'Clock. The rest of the day and
the night present beautiful skyI So clear is
the day time. as to render the tops of the Him.
melayahs, more than hundred miles distant,
visible with their snowy heads; so brilliant is
the night, as to make the watching Of the con-
stellations in their silent marches most delight
full entertainment. Yet while the air seems SO
bracing and the heavens so pure, this monster
cholera stalks abroad almost with its greatest
fury. For few days at the end of December,
and beginning Of January, the thermometer
ranges at SUNRISE from AS to 80 Q, and at
noon from 76e to SOC. The nights are chilly
and little blaze of sticks or bushes is very CON-
Portable Perhaps it is this comparatively lolv
temperature, low as compared with the blaze of
the sun from March to October, following the
depicting influences of the intense heat, that
renders the native so susceptible to the cholera;
yet this disease is not annual and must be owing
to something else than variations of tenn
perature The heavy rains of summer kill the
pestilence If the disease is stayed in our country
it will in all probability be owing to our frequent
rains and snow-storms rather than to frosts
The cholera never Spontaneously broke out in
Assam. Its presence could always be traced to
boats, which had come up the Burmahpootra
River from Bengal. But when introduced, its
progress was like the swellings ofthe great river
itself which no man could stop. The visitation
of this disease in Assam, of late years was very
regularly once in seven years. 1t appeared
twice during my stay in that province, in 1928
and In $3.50 The mortality each time was
fearful, sweeping away tenth of the population
in 1928, and a large number in '5s-9. Death
was in every house funeral fires blazed in every
direction professions and idol worship abOunded
Alas cholera stays not, until its predisposed
victims are all taken. Yet its movements were
tickle and difficult to be accounted for. In
some parts of our station, it would sweep along
like wild-hre. on one side Of the street, not