69
epidemic. The districts of the north-west of India do not breed cholera, and
yet when the seeds of the disease are periodically introduced into those districts,
cholera flourishes with a vigour unknown within the true endemic region of
Lower Bengal.
Past epidemic inva-
sions of Ceylon.
82. While this report was passing through the Press, I received from the
Principal Medical Officer of Ceylon the following letter and
statement regarding the years of greatest prevalence of
cholera in the Island since 1859. It will be observed that the 1859 invasion did
not reach Ceylon until 1860, and that the 1863 invasion reached the I sland, as
it did the Western Coast of India, in 1864. The 1869 invasion did not get to
Ceylon until May 1870.
From the Principal Civil Medical Officer, Colombo, to the Sanitary Commissioner,
Madras, dated Colombo, 16th February 1871.
In reply to your letter of the 14th December, requesting me to furnish you
with any data in my office showing the monthly prevalence of cholera in the
Island of Ceylon from the year 1859 to the end of 1870, I regret to have the
honour to state that the forms of Cholera Registers adopted in this department
are so voluminous that, without an additional staff of clerks which are not at my
disposal, I am unable to afford you the information in a monthly form.
I have, however, drawn up a form of return which I trust may, to a certain
extent, answer the object you have in view.
This return gives the number of cases and deaths reported in each province
of the Island from 1859 to 1870 inclusive, together with the date and locality of
the first and last case occurring in each year in every province.
You will observe that the Northern and Central provinces are the most
obnoxious to cholera, and these two provinces are chiefly affected by importa-
tions from India.
It is, however, in the Northern Province alone that cholera is in the habit
of locating itself, and the history of every outbreak, I believe without exception,
points to India as its origin, the infection having, in every instance, been
imported direct.
The climate of the Northern Province assimilates to that of Southern India.
Its people are all Tamils, and resemble the inhabitants of Southern India in their
habits, customs, and constitutional peculiarities, and they are in constant and
close communication with them.
A cholera epidemic seldom prevails in the south of India without establish-
ing itself in the peninsula of Jaffna and at Mannar, and from thence it is
conveyed along the central road, the tract of the immigrant coolies into the
Central Province.
The whole of the localities indicated in this return in the Northern and
Central Provinces are liable to infection by gangs of coolies passing into the
interior from the coast of India. As compared with the returns from India the
total number of cases occurring in the remaining provinces of Ceylon is very
small.