The Appraising Risk project seeks to coordinate the collection of diverse datasets concerning human-environment interaction across the Indian Ocean World. In this section, you will find datasets collected and collated by Appraising Risk members.
India, Disease, 1834-1910
- Data type: Disease (smallpox, “fever,” cholera)
- Index: Deaths/1,000/month
- Date range: 1834-1910
- Location: India (esp. Mumbai, Chennai, Bengal)
From sources readily available in The British Library, the National Library of Scotland, and Digital South Asia Library, there is a wealth of data on the prevalence of multiple diseases that plagued the Indian subcontinent during British rule. Alongside an abundant record of Cholera in India, these libraries have sources pertaining to a wide range of diseases, including Smallpox, Plague, Dysentery, fever, and more. This dataset includes records of disease from nineteenth-century India, mainly from West Bengal, the South Eastern coast, and the Bombay region, and indexes the data based on the unit of measurement: deaths per one thousand individuals – obtainable in most reports published by the libraries.
For an in-depth report on this data, how it was collected, what it reveals, and maps made with the information, there is an article accessible in NiCHE, a website that hosts a network of researchers and educators that examine the intersectionality of nature and history to better inform researchers, policymakers, and the public. Read the article here and download the data below.
Time-lapses which visualize the prevalence of cholera, fever, and smallpox in India from 1848-1900 can be viewed here.