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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    c and Pooree to Ramasvaram resorted were always kept in an ex- tremely filthy condition, and their courtyards contained filth of all imaginable kinds. Now-a-days these chattrams are limewaslied as often as thought necessary by the Sanitaiy Officer, and no filth is allowed to be kept in the courtyards. Thirdly.—The conservancy of the streets, lanes, and by-lanes, and of all open spaces in the town is now regularly attended to by the scavengers employed by the Municipality. Tbere was no conservancy in pre-municipal days, and filth was allowed to remain until washed away by a heavy fall of rain. There was no conservancy of courtyards then as now, for nothing noxious can be kept by the people in them, as the conservancy overseer in- spects them daily to see if they are kept clean. If filth be found in them the owner is directed by notice to remove it afc once. Fourthly.—Formerly prickly-pear and croton plants were found in every part of the town, and especially in the outskirts. Into them filth of all'kinds was thrown and they favored the commission of sanitary nuisances, for people flocked to their neighbourhood to answer the calls of nature. At present no prickly-pear bushes, or clumps of croton are found anywhere about the town within municipal limits, to afford shelter for the commission of such offences. Fifthly.—No attention in those days was paid to keep the water in the tanks, reservoirs, and wells clean. When I came herein December 1870 I was astonished to see the natives poUating the water-supply everywhere, but particularly in the reservoirs. Here were found people washing their mouths of a morning, spitting the foul water out of them into the reservoir, washing their soiled clothes, bathing their persons, and doing other dirty acts which the authorities ought not to have allowed. The tank-banks in the wet and the beds in the dry weather were converted into privies by people of all classes—the intelligent Brahmin, the ignorant Pariah, the Government official, and the poor cooly were all found defecating on the banks, and beds of the tanks which supplied their reservoirs with drinking water.