it, and by the irrigation channels, which are used for drinking purposes. At times the disease has broken out in a very serious manner. In 1892 as many as 13,600 persons died of it in the Gódávari district as then constituted, and in 1878, 1879 and 1889 its victims numbered between nine and ten thousand. But such visitations have been rare; and, though in nearly every one of the last 35 years cholera has claimed some victims, the number of these has, as a rule, been less than that even in less populous districts. It exceeded one thousand in 17 of the 32 years between 1871 and 1902 inclusive, but on only four occasions was it higher than in any other district.
The ravages of small-pox have on the whole been less serious than those of cholera, but on more than one occasion they have been very grave. In 1878 over l8,000 persons died of the disease in the district as then constituted, and in 1884 over 11,300. In six of the 32 years between 1871 and 1902 more deaths occurred from small-pox in this district than in any other; in fifteen of these years the mortality exceeded one thousand; and in only one year did it fall below one hundred.
A serious epidemic of the disease broke out in the delta taluks and the Tuni division in 1900, and after that compulsory vaccination was extended to a number of the unions. It is now in force in the municipalities of Rajahmundry and Cocanada and the unions of Dowlaishweram, Amalápuram, Kottapéta, Peddápuram, Rámachandrapuram, Pithápuram and Tuni.
Certain other less virulent diseases are common in Gódávari. Dysentery and diarrhœa are frequent, but perhaps not more so than elsewhere. Elephantiasis and hydrocele are also prevalent, and the town of Peddápuram has a bad name for the former. Guinea-worm is rare. A few cases of black-water fever have occurred in the Bhadráchalam taluk. A peculiarity of the district is the prevalence of beri-beri, the Telugu name for which is ubbu vayuvu. Though endemic in many localities, it is frequently epidemic, and it is commonest along the coast. It is said to confine its attacks to males and to be most frequent among the middle-aged.
A good deal has been done in the municipalities to improve sanitation, and with satisfactory results. In rural villages, as in other districts, matters are still backward and even the state of the unions leaves much to be desired. The difficulties are greatest in the delta, where the pressure of cultivation leaves little waste land round the village sites and the population is thickest. Drinking-water is also usually
