History
Malaria was spreading at an alarming on the island of Mauritius during the late nineteenth century. The British Government instated a Sanitary Commission in 1879 to recommend laws which could potentially reverse the spiraling outbreak.
Charles Meldrum, a meteorologist and astronomer based in Mauritius, wrote a report exploring the links between the spread of malaria, global climatic anomalies, sunspot theories and the impacts of deforestation. He contested the report that Andrew Davidson had prepared for the Sanitary Commission of 1882. Davidson was a physician in Mauritius and he attributed the spread of malaria to miasmatic influences exacerbated by deforestation. The now obsolete miasma theory attributed the cause of diseases to the miasma from rotting organic matter.
Meldrum relied on what would soon proved as the scientifically correct germ theory, notably that microscopic organisms are the cause of diseases, to counter Davidson. The project is a visual analysis of the colonial datasets.
Tackling Malaria in British Mauritius
A photo extracted from Ronald Ross’ report on Mauritius showing the workers at a marshy land which bred mosquitoes. Similar marshy lands were previously considered to be miasmatic by Davidson showing the indirect positive impact of the flawed theory. Source: Ronald Ross, Report on the Prevention of Malaria in Mauritius, 194 (Photo 11).
Project
In the GIS project, I have analyzed the datasets on health, and weather statistics compiled by Charles Meldrum during the nineteenth century from different districts of Mauritius during the period 1871–1879. Additionally, I have also looked at the chronology of the spread of malaria from January 1865 to May 1866 which he had also referenced.
My main hypothesis was to determine if there was a strong correlation between malaria, climate and deforestation in Mauritius. The chart below such potential correlations which can be further explored using the interactive maps and charts.
Correlating Monthly Rainfall and Fever Deaths during 1871–1879
A correlation can be seen (click for larger image) and scroll down to explore them interactively.
The research project is an ongoing one. Some data sources might be incomplete and the historical coordinates might require further adjustments.
Interactives
The Spread of Malaria in Mauritius from January 1865 to May 1866
How did malaria initially spread in British Mauritius?
The historical map used as an overlay is by Alexander Descubes (1880). The details on the spread of malaria have been extracted from Meldrum's report. Click on the red dot to explore them. You may also pause the slider and manually shift to look at the spread.
Correlating Fever Mortality and Rainfall Patterns in British Mauritius from 1871 to 1879
Is there a correlation between malaria and rainfall?
The two maps show the links between fever mortality and rainfall patterns during the period 1871–1879. If you select specific district(s), it will change across both maps. However, each map has their respective yearly filters.
Sources
- Weather, health, and forests : a report on the inequalities of the mortality from malarial fever and other diseases, in Mauritius, considered in relation to the inequalities of temperature, humidity, and rainfall ; on a possible periodicity of mortality related to the eleven-year periodicity of solar activity ; and on the climatic and other effects of forests. Prepared for the Sanitary Commission of Mauritius appointed by Proclamation No. 50 of 1879. By Charles Meldrum, L.L.D., F.R.S. Mauritius - Mercantile Record Company Printing Establishment. 1881.
- Map of Mauritius island, Indian Ocean by Alexander Descubes (1880).
