Beri-Beri among Tamils in Rangoon

Southern India. Roughly the patients thus classed as Hindus came from two districts, Chittagong and Southern India, but chiefly from the latter place. Those who came from Southern India were nearly all Tamils, and so much so was this the case that I had to choose Tamilspeaking Hospital Assistants to place in such charge of the wards whore these patients were kept for treatment in order that they could make their wants properly understood. As far as the correct diagnosis of the disease is concerned, I believe the cases were correctly classed as beri-beri, for considerable care was taken in the observance of their signs and symptoms, and many of the cases were seen and diagnosed by Captain Duer, I.M.S., and Captain Rost, I.M.S., as well as by myself, and I found the opinion that so far from being immune to this disease Tamils were, if anything, especially prone to be attacked. Since writing the notes Dr. Clark alludes to, I continued to collect and classify the cases up to the time I was transferred from the Rangoon Hospital last year, ani the figures thus obtained are closely similar to those mentioned in my paper. I find by reference to the notes that during the three years, July 1896 to July 1899, altogether 944: cases of beri-beri were admitted for treatment, of which 769 were classified as Hindus, or roughly 80 per cent., and that the figures for the years July 1899 to July 1900 were as follows : Total number of cases 389, of which 312 were Hindus, or again roughly 80 per cent. These last figures were compiled for me after I had left the hospital, and I had no idea they would so closely correspond till I examined them on the question raised by Dr. Clark. I therefore believe whatever the explanation may be there is little doubt that in Rangoon at least Tamil-speaking natives suffer markedly from beri-beri. As regards the diet question the remarks made in my paper were intended to be very general, as I had found on going into the question that the results obtained were very confusing and contradictory. One fact of interest connected with the large number of Hindus attacked is the habit these men indulge in of drinking rice canjee, and on enquiry I found that Mahomedans and Burmese do not do so to anything like the same extent. According to m:iny informants Hindu -women are not given canjee unless there is plenty of it, nor for the same reason do children under 15 years of age get it either ; chiefly on the plea that they do no work and therefore do not deserve it. On looking at the figures obtainable from the Rangoon Hospital for years 1896?1900 (as below):?