§ MR. REESTo ask the Secretary of State for India whether the deaths from plague in the last eight years, amounting to 5,000,000 in all, work out to an average of 2.135 per 1,000 per year; and, if so, whether the constant and greater mortality from malaria will also be referred to a commission of experts should such be appointed.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Morley.) As I explained in my Answer to a Question of the hon. Member on the 20th August, any such calculation of a ratio of plague deaths to the total population of India may be misleading, and is not necessarily a true index of the prevalence of plague in comparison with other diseases. The Government of India are aware of the great annual mortality from malarial complaints, and have recently undertaken an inquiry into the etiology of fevers of that class prevalent in the Bengal Dooars. Plague and malaria present different problems, which must be investigated separately.