Cholera in a Khasi Village and Its Treatment with Bacteriophage

Jakrkm is a village in* the Khasi Hills 16 miles !?v road and twenty-five by footpath south-west ?f Shillong. It consists of 142 houses and has population of 744. Never in the memory of the villagers has it been visited by cholera. On the 3rd October, 1929, eleven men went to seek work two days' march south to Maodon. adjacent to the plain of Sylhet. On their arrival they tound cholera in Maodon and two neighbouring villages and. after staving one night, they returned together with one man from Sngimowlein. About two miles from Jakrem this man left the party, his path diverging, and very soon after his arrival home he died of cholera: there were four more deaths from cholera in Sngimowlein. The Jakrem party, however, were met by;the village elders and were forbidden to enter Jakrem. They remained where they were for two days while an egg-breaking ceremony was held at Jakrem to determine whether the cholera demon (ka khlam) was with the party. The cholera demon has six hands but no legs. According to the Khasis " ka khlam resides in the plains and can only leave the plains and climb the hills to Jakrem on the shoulders of a Khasi." The break of the egg showed that the demon was not with the party and they were then allowed to