Prevention of Cholera in Rural India

used to be previously. At the present time cholera is a problem of the villages. Our present methods of dealing with cholera are of the suppressive rather than preventive type. Any organization for the control of the disease is put into action after an epidemic of cholera has already started; this can never be successful. On the other hand if we can ensure the safety of drinking water in the villages, this will be a real preventive measure which will go a longway towards eradicating the disease. In the majority of the cholera provinces of India the chief sources of water supply are ground wells, and they are also the chief sources of the epidemics of cholera. It is impossible to do away with these wells and the tube-well has been a failure. The safeguarding of these wells will be a real preventive measure against cholera. Besides, pure drinking water is a rare commodity in the villages. The constant use of polluted water may or may not injure the vitality of the villagers in the long run, but it is imperative to protect such water from