150

Report on Kála-ázar.

disease, four had escaped, and the fifth only got it after seven
of his household had suffered from it. Many of them now took
it, as they were convinced that those who did so, were both
less likely to suffer from it, and also had a better chance of
recovering; and they showed me a boy, who had been given
three grains of the drug a day while he was suffering from kála-
ázar, and who was now quite well. It is worthy of note that
this history of an increased consumption of opium since the
appearance of the epidemic, and as a direct result of it, was
obtained in all the villages around here, which are inhabited
by the Hosais—a people who are addicted to the habit; and
on inquiry at the local opium shop, this increased consump-
tion was confirmed.

Village S.

    A man lived for twelve days in a village on the Jumuna
river (only a few miles from here), in which
there was kála-ázar at the time, and got
fever whilst there, and returned with it to this village. He
and his brother, who lived in the same house with him, were
the first to die of the disease in this place, and it afterwards
spread through the village. There have been very few fresh
cases this year, 1895 having been the worst year.

Village H-a.

    This village was found to be deserted, although a
month previously there were two families
here who had three bad cases of the
disease among them. I subsequently learnt that two of
these had died, and the people had then gone to live in
another village not far off, which had, however, previously
suffered from the epidemic. It is easy to see how disease
might be spread in such a way as this; as, indeed, it often is.

Village H.

    Had suffered from the epidemic for the last five
years; 1895 was the worst year. The
first case was that of a man of this village
(whose name as usual was given), who was a boat-
man. He went to Roha (some 30 miles off) and came
back with fever, of which he died in this village. The
second case was that of a man who used to go and eat in