The British Empire: A source for good or evil? January 2014 | Page 10

Disease and the British Empire

British colonists brought or worsened the spread of plague, leprosy, cholera, smallpox, and malaria,
among other diseases.

What diseases were brought?

This section will focus on India, because of the variety of
diseases brought and the quality of documentation upheld.

Plague: There are indications of plague incidences in India, but there is well-documented proof of it in Kutch,
where there was a plague outbreak in 1812 that lasted around ten years. In 1897 the Epidemic Diseases Act was
approved, and the control of epidemics by locals authorities; however, India was ravaged by plague again in 1899, and
by 1903 there were two million people recorded dead by the state, although it was probably more.

Leprosy: Another big problem in British India was leprosy . A lot of research on the scientific treatment for
Leprosy was done by the medical officers, but many people died in the mean time.

Cholera: (1817-1824) Cholera began next to Kolkata. The number of deaths
is unknown.

Malaria: Fever caused by malaria was considered one of the leading
causes of death in India. One of the factors leading to increased malaria
outbreaks was the establishment of the railways and irrigation network laid down
by the British government, which did not consider efficient drainage systems for
floods and rainwaters.
by Piera and Yassamine

Malaria is carried by mosquitoes