Report of the Committee appointed by government to investigate the history and particular conditions of the cholera-epidemic of 1854.

  • Mauritius
Date:
MDCCCLVI [1856]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Committee appointed by government to investigate the history and particular conditions of the cholera-epidemic of 1854. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    Offices of Government were indeed open, but scarcely one had it's complement of Clerks to carry on the duty. The streets leading to the Cemetery presented a long luguhrious line of funeral pro- cessions, and in the desolated city, the most heart-rending scenes ofmit-eryand dfspair, contrasted strangely with the bright sky and cool bieezes over head. Good conduct It would bo wrong to omit here a tribute of praise to the unremitting efforts made by of the Mayor. the Municipality to arrest the progress of this fatal malady, and the untiring zeal of the Mayor, who, never for a single day, abandoned the post of danger, but was ever ready, by precept and by example, to tliow that presence bf mind and fortitude Avhich offered the best chances of mitigating the horrors of the epidemic. All did not follow his example, and instances are known of wives flying from the death beds of their husbands, and (hihlrcu from their parents ; <ind many poor wretches were left to |>€ri&h unheeded in their solitary agony, whose deaths were known only by the acciden'ial discovery of their remains. Cholera in Port The epidemic raged with increasing violence till the lllh of June, when it reached its Louis in June apogee, 243 persons having died in Fort Louis on that day. It then began to decrease in nncl July. virulence, the next 4 days presenting respectively 138, KiS, 111, fatal cases; on the 16th, the mortality rose again to 213 ; 92 deaths occurred ou the ITth, and 129 on the 18th. From this day till the end of the monlli, a constant daily diminution (with the ex- ception of one day) took place, and on tlie 30th the tnortality bad fallen to 7. In July the mortality seems to have been mostly confined to the outskirts of the town and the Infir- mary of St-Mary. 64 deaths were declared in that month, out of wliich 32 are state.I to liave occured in the Western, 16 in the Eastern Suburb, and 10 in the Infirmary. The last fatal casein Port Louis was that of an ex-apprentice girl named Ernestine, who died at St-Mary's Infirmary on the 1st of August. Mortality up The estimated population of Port Louis on the 31st May, was about 49,000. to 1st August. The declared mortality from Cholera between tlie 25th of May, and the 1st August, the date of the last case, was 3,492, being an average of about 50 deaths per diem—from Cholera alone—the usual daily average of deaths from all causes, taken on a comparison of three years being 7. Of these, 1,623 were males, and 1,326 females, belonging to the ^ general or ex-apprcntice population, and 463 males, and 80 female Indian Immigiauts. Cases of Cho- In October three fatal cases of Cholera took place in the family of Mr. Assistant Com- lera intte family missary Gene'.'ul Ackroyd. This gentleman died after a few hours illness on the 13th, and of M. Ackroj'cd. two of his children died on the 17th and 23rd respectively, one of Cholera, undone uf Typhoid Fevei, which set in on reaction. The following account of these cases is in the words of Ur. Home :— Dr. Homes ac- The habits of the late Mr. Ackroyd were extrenily regular and temjierate, and tlinugh count of the cases neither of muscular or vigorous constitution, he could not be said to be delicate for he of M. Ackroyd was scarcely ever ill. He was not predisposed to relaxation of the bowels, and had never and his Children, to my knowledge suffered from Dysentery. On Thursday 12th October (the day previous to his attack) he was in all respects in his usual health : his dinner consisted of roast Mutton whiidi he ate with an ordinary appetite, and having passed the evening, as was his habit with his family, he retired to rest at 9 o'clock. There is no reason to believe that during the night he was otherwise than well, for he subsequently stated distinctly, in reply to my questions on ibis point, that no sympton of anything wrcng shewed it£( If before day light on Friday morning. On tha^ morning tlie 13th on getting up, as was his custom soon after Gunfiie, he had a call to e-acuate his bowels, and this was repeated many times at intervals till between 11 and i2 o'clock, after Avhich the evacuations which were of the charactciistic rice water appearance entirely ceased, and did not again return. At 9 o'clock he sat down to breakfast with his family, and tho' remarked to be looking ill he made light of his complaint, conversing as usual but taking i.o hing but a cup of yapana tea. Soon after (perhaps aboiit 10 o'clock) ho vomited for the first time, and even after this symptom had recurred twice or oflener, so slightly ill did he consider himself, that he actually sent to say that he would be at his Office soon a't t 12 o'clock. About 11 beginning tofeel weak and really unwell he decided on taking off his clothes, and lying down in l)ed, and it was when preparing to do so and in the act of drawing off his boots, that he had the first attack of cramps. After this the symptoms began rapidly to increase, a copious and cold perspiration came on, the cramps returned at short intervals, and notwithstanding the use )f stimu-
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