No. 12. — 1860-1.1 BADULLA AND ITS PRODUCTS. 



387 



Health. 



The low lands of the District are generally unhealthy, 

 arising- chiefly from the scarcity of water and food — causes 

 which have tended to the gradual depopulation of this 

 part of the District. Scrofulous ulcerations are frequently 

 met among the natives of Wellavaya, &c. Those parts of 

 Badulla which stretch towards Hambantota and Batticaloa 

 are well-known as fever generating places. 



Intermittent fever, or ague, is endemic in Wellavaya and 

 Wellassa, which have a sandy and barren soil, and where 

 wholesome water is scarce. The disease is become so 

 common with ' the wretched inhabitants of these localities, 

 that they consider themselves subjected only to a temporary 

 inconvenience during the paroxysm, and when that has 

 passed off they betake themselves to their usual avocations. 

 Many of them have enlarged spleen as the consequence of 

 protracted suffering from ague, and present the peculiar 

 exsanguineous appearance which is characteristic of the 

 disease. 



Ague is also prevalent at Kataragama, whither people of 

 every part of the Island and from the neighbouring continent 

 of India, Buddhists as well as Hindus, resort annually in the 

 month of July on pilgrimage to aDevale, which is sacred 

 to the God Kandasvami. 



The Kataragama fever although generally of the intermittent 

 type, soon merges into the remittent character, and destroys 

 great numbers of the pilgrims, when cholera does not break 

 out among them, as is usual on such occasions. 



According to the Sinhalese idea of treating some severe 

 cases of fever, no medicine is to be administered until some 

 days have elapsed, when, unfortunately, the fatal symptoms 

 have already supervened. Thus numbers die immediately 

 after their return from the Kataragama festival. 



1 would here offer a few remarks on an indigenous febrifuge 



