Cholera and water : an address delivered at the annual meeting of the South Indian Branch, British Medical Association, 8th January, 1886 / by M.C. Furnell.

  • Furnell, Michael Cudmore, 1829-1888.
Date:
1886
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cholera and water : an address delivered at the annual meeting of the South Indian Branch, British Medical Association, 8th January, 1886 / by M.C. Furnell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    people with usual gratitude subsequently sent in petitions to Govern- nieut agaiust tlie Collector complaining of this high handed cnci'oach- ment on their rights. Cuddapah, or a suburb of it suffered from cholera in 1883, and here again a curious circumstance pointing to impure water as the cause, manifested itself. The cholera was in the hamlet of Yerranu- kapalli through which flows the small stream the Bogra, this like most streams in Southern India is a swift flowing river in the mon- soon ; a series of sluggish scarcely moving puddles in the hot sea- son. Cholera broke out when the stream was sluggisli and here again was confined to the Sudras a caste people living on the banks of the river and using its water for every purpose. Curiously enough just across the main road within twenty yards is a hamlet inhabited by Malahs (pariahs) amongst these not one case of cholera occurred, but then mark, they are not allowed by the Sudras to use the sacred stream, and are obliged to draw their water from a large well which happily they possess. There was additional evidence concerning this stream; a little way above the village is the place where the dhobies wash the clothes, and it was discovered that pre- vious to the outbreak of cholera in Yerranukapalli clothes of cholera patients from a neighbouring village had been washed in the river above. This may be called by some a mere coincidence, but I confess I prefer the plainer and more obvious inference that a contami- nated water supply is an important factor in the spread of cholera. I could multiply these cases from facts which have come under my knowledge in this Presidency during my tenure of ofiice as Sani- tary Commissioner, but the limits at my disposal this evening forbid my doing so. I will proceed to the second question. 2. Have we any proof that a people enjoying a pure and uucon- taminated water supply escape cholera ? The evidence on this point amounts to nothing more than circum- stantial evidence, but I think it is circumstantial evidence of a very convmcmg kind. Exact evidence, unless we proceed to experiments which humanity is said to forbid, it is almost impossible to produce in a question of this sort. We will first take our own Presidency which contains, a few, alas too few cases in point.