182 AROUND TJ1E WOULD VIA INDIA. 



most prominent and successful physicians and lawyers 

 in Ceylon arc natives or half-castes. 



PREVAILING DISEASES. 



The bubonic plague has never had a foothold in 

 Ceylon. This is the more remarkable, as its harbors 

 are visited daily by ships from all Oriental ports and 

 the exemption from this scourge must be due to the 

 extraordinary care exercised by the department of 

 health. Accurate information regarding the present 

 prevailing diseases can be gleaned from the Annual 

 Report of Dr. Allan Perry, principal medical officer of 

 the island. 



Malaria. — In the western, central and north central 

 provinces malarial fevers were very slight. The disease 

 is most prevalent in the northwestern and eastern 

 provinces. The disease is quite prevalent in Colombo, 

 and observations are now being made to determine the 

 places where infection takes place. 



Cholera. — During the year 1902, according to this 

 report, there were 179 cases of cholera, with 116 deaths. 

 The largest number of cases occurred in Colombo and 

 vicinity. 



Small pox. — There were 146 cases of this disease, 

 with 35 deaths, in the north of the island, and 118 

 cases were admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital. 

 Kanatta, which, with two from another province, made 

 120, with 32 deaths. 



Dysentery. — This disease is equally distributed 

 throughout the island. It was most prevalent in the 

 central and western provinces. The largest number 

 treated in any one institution was at the General Hos- 

 pital, Colombo, where 488 cases were admitted, of whom 

 89 died. 



Enteric Fever. — The number of cases treated in the 

 various hospitals throughout the island was 242, with 

 63 deaths. Pollution of water and milk are the com- 

 monest causes of this disease. The cesspit system. 



