52
Cholera really pre-
sent in the district in
February.
72 But the district of Tinnevelly began to yield cases of cholera from the
beginning of the year. In January, eight deaths were noted-
two in the Tinnevelly talook, three in Nangunnerry, one in
Satur. and two in Ottapidaram. In February the cholera
mortality had advanced to forty-six, and in the Tinnevelly talook three villages
had suffered, and it is very clear from the fact that fatal cases had occurred in
twenty villages in the entire district, that cholera had begun to be active so early
as February.
Collector's report.
The Collector of the district, in writing on the 20th May, thus describes the
progress of cholera:-"The disease has been more or less
prevalent in all parts of the district since the middle of March.
It was at first confined to the towns and villages on the banks of the Tambrapawni
river, the waters of which overflowed the banks to a great extent during the
disastrous floods of November. The disease then travelled to the south-west
and south of the Tambrapawni."
" It has been confined almost entirely to the southern and western talooks,
the northern talooks having been almost free."
In a later communication, dated 26th July, Mr. Longley, the Collector of
the district, observes, " I regret to say that information has just reached me that
cholera has also broken out in Streevulliputtur, the northernmost talook of the
district, and which talook up to this date has been perfectly free from the disease."
This latter observation is, however, scarcely correct, as the registration returns
show three deaths in March, twenty-one in April, thirty-four in May, and thirty
in June in the Streevulliputtur Talook, though it is very evident that the disease
had not begun to spread rapidly in that talook. Nor did it, in fact, affect the
Streevulliputtur Talook to any extent.
Marked preference
of cholera for villages
on river banks which
had been inundated by
the late floods.
73. The marked characteristic of the cholera epidemic in Tinnevelly was the
avidity with which it seized upon the low lying villages along
the banks of the Tambrapawni, and other rivers, avoiding in
the first instance the higher grounds, though spreading to
them at a subsequent date. Mr. Longley has been good
enough to furnish me with a list of the villages attacked up to the end of June,
showing those situated on river banks, and those away from the influence of
river moisture. The facts are embodied in the following table, and they are
not a little remarkable as an illustration of the mode in which cholera prefers
a moist soil to flourish in :-
AMBASA-MOODRAM.
TINNE-VELLY.
TENKA-KAI.
NANGUN-NERRY.
TENKASI.
SATUR.
SANKARA-NAYANAR COVIL.
STREE-VULLI-PUTTUR.
OTTAPI-DARAM.
Total.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
Deaths in places on river banks.
Deaths away from river banks.
January
2
3
1
2
8
February
22
12
2
1
5
1
2
45
March
2
15
1
194
7
1
6
4
2
3
1
7
243
April
85
204
36
85
33
14
19
56
9
9
13
13
21
1
39
637
May
318
7
149
75
391
92
232
127
40
13
51
46
4
18
21
13
12
112
1721
June
237
1
210
61
304
102
229
388
15
24
20
59
27
30
14
190
1911
Total
642
8
602
173
986
234
475
537
112
48
87
128
4
61
21
67
28
352
4565