A MEMOHANDUM 



ON 



THE CHOLERA OUTBREAK OF 1881 AT ADEN. 



BY 



Suegeon-Majoh T. E. LEWIS, M.B., 



SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE SANITARY COMMISSIONER WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. 



1882. 



In order to understand the circumstances under which cholera occurred at Aden 

 during the months of August and September 1881, it is necessary, in the first 

 place, to consider the immediately preceding history of the people amongst whom 

 the disease broke out, and the sanitary condition of the localities to which it was 

 confined. 



2. The committee (composed of three Medical Officers) which was appointed to 

 investigate the outbreak observe that, previous to the 1st of August, the only 

 noticeable fact as regards the state of the settlement was the number of deaths 

 amongst the starving Somalis who had come from the African coasts. In June, 

 161 deaths had been registered at Aden, as compared with 89 deaths in 1880, 

 and 54 in 1879; and in July the number of deaths rose to 209, as compared with 

 75 during the same month of 1880 and 64 in 1879. It is manifest, therefore, that 

 during these two months of 1881 there was some grave cause of mortality at work 

 in the settlement. Indeed, the numerous deaths had attracted the notice of the 

 local authorities, and a special inquiry had been instituted before any case of 

 cholera had been recognised ; the mortality having been, for the most part, attributed 

 to dysentery and diarrhoea. 



3. As to the condition of the persons and the localities affected, famine had 

 existed in the Somali country for some time, and in consequence numbers of the 

 inhabitants came to Aden during June and July. These wretched people had come 

 in order to get employment as cargo-coolies, and had settled down amongst their 

 own kinsmen in two already densely crowded localities, — Tawahi (or Steamer Point) 

 and Maala villages. These two localities appear to be about three miles apart. 

 The latter village is described as consisting of densely crowded huts, with a population 

 computed to be 3,650, besides " about 780 houseless persons, who find shelter 



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