Nostalgia and alligator bite--morbidity and mortality among Indian migrants to Natal, 1884-1911
Brain, J.B.; Brain, P.
South African Medical Journal 65(3): 98-102
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0256-9574 PMID: 6364394 Document Number: 236299
Reported causes of death (1899-1911) and of admission to hospital (1884-1910) of Indian migrants to Natal are analysed, and an attempt is made to relate them to the circumstances and way of life of the community. The most frequently reported causes of death were pneumonia, enteritis and pulmonary tuberculosis; the commonest reason for admission was venereal disease. Fluctuations in reported mortality and morbidity from year to year were most marked for malaria, with a formidable epidemic in 1905-1906. Typhoid fever and diphtheria were uncommon, as were diabetes and the sequelae of arteriosclerosis.