Reports bringing up the statistical history of the European Army in India and of the Native Army and jail population of Bengal to 1876 : and the cholera history of 1875 and 1876, in continuation of reports embracing the period from 1817 to 1872 / by J.L.Bryden.

  • James Bryden
Date:
1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reports bringing up the statistical history of the European Army in India and of the Native Army and jail population of Bengal to 1876 : and the cholera history of 1875 and 1876, in continuation of reports embracing the period from 1817 to 1872 / by J.L.Bryden. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    192/358 (page 172)
    The fever of 1S59-60 caused 109 deaths, and the outbreak of 1866, 34 deaths, distributed thus:— January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. 1860 . . 5 11 37 44 10 2 1866 2 6 14 5 5 2 The dysenteric outbreak of 1870 was also a spring epidemic, culminating- in April and running as under :— January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September 12 12 13 30 13 12 10 5 These deaths of 1870 were returned as dj^sentery, fevei-, or atrophy—8:J dysentery or diar- rhcea, 14 fevers, and 11 atrophy. The mortality was attributed to a change in the grain supjjlied to the prisoners. But the medical officer remarks, that many of the prisoners who died came from the famine tract of 1869, south of the Jumna. The aspect of these deaths suggests the presence of a typhus in some form, probably brought in from the famine districts; for I know of no in-' stance of an outbreak of dysentery in jails culminating in the healthiest month of the year, and dying out at the season when dysentery is due to appear. I need only refer the reader back to the table in the jireceding chapter showing the relation to season of the dysentery of the Meerut Jail, where the fact is illustrated that out of the enormous mortality from dysentery in the ten years, 7 per cent, only occurred in the first six months of the year. Out of 62 deaths returned under All other Causesin 1872, 1873 and 1874, 50 were caused by sloughing ulcers; and 16 deaths from the same cause occurred among men sent for change to Futtehpore. This persistence tells of the extreme difficulty of getting rid of this contagious disease when once it has established itself in a community, and of the necessity for the absolute and early segregation of such cases. Mortality of the Meerut Jail, 1859—76. Tear. Average Strength. ^ Causes op Deaths. Total Deaths, 1 Died per 1,000 of Aver- j age Strength. j Cholera. Fevers. Dysentery. Respiratory Dis- eases. Phthisis. Dropsy, Atrophy and SpL'cn Dis- eases. All other Causes. 1859 1,413 33 103 7 7 231 15S 1860 . . -. 2,096 220 128 20 61 19 44s 214 386! 2.189 288 429 343 10 71 46 1,187 512 3863 1,342 65 2 8 10 14f! 109 1863 1,383 7 33 4 6 4 53 38 1864 1,415 12 14 7 1 1 17 53 37 aS65 1,242 2 12 3 2 4 1 24 19 ^866 1,275 9 2 4 4 10 29 23 1867 1,277 2 22 1 3 7 3 38 30 1868 1,103 3 9 4 3 4 4 27 24 1869 1,257 3 44 11 1 2 5 66 53 1870 1,330 8 82 15 5 14 11 135 103 1871 989 25 303 12 6 7' 153 155 3872 877 io 6 63 14 10 1 104 119 1873 1.003 5 38 15 ii 3 5 77 77 1874 1.223 17 85 23 10 10 12 157 ]2S 1875 1,221 6 8 19 16 7 7 3 66 54 1876 1,228 7 74 29 2 7 4 123 100 The Meerut Jail has passed through three phases in these 18 years. In the end of 1859, Meerut Jail-showing the effects of eontagious fever broke out, which died out in June 1860, after contagious fever and famine, and of cutting off 230 prisoners. Cholera, decay from famine, aui dysentery produced by endemic causes contag-ious fever raged simultancouslv in 1861, and nearly 1,200 aftecting the prisoners. prisoners died. The disorganisation of the records caused by this great calamity renders it almost impos- sible to say how much of the mortality of 1801 was due to the diffei-ent diseases. But the date at which the contagious fever ended in 1862 leaves no doabt as to the character of the fever that did prevail in 1861 :— November. December. January. Februarv. March. April. May. June. 1859-60 . . 4 8 14 35 92 59 15 4 1861 * * * * * * ■X- * January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. 1862 . , 71 48 18 15 14 5 1 For the seven years succeeding, Meerut was one of the he^ilthiest jails of Upper India. Nothing during this period call.*; for notice,