Rohtak, more than one hundred years ago

Would you have expected irrigation and canals to lead to inferior health outcomes?

A word of caution first. Since this column is about District Gazetteers, I am going to burden you with quotes I find interesting. “The mosquitoes of Gohana are said not to bite: This may be true as regards natives of the country; they certainly bite Europeans.” This is from the Rohtak District Gazetteer for 1883-84. Times change. What strikes me most when I read this Rohtak Gazetteer is the role of the community. Consider the watch and ward system. “There are 702 village watchmen in the 481 inhabited villages: this number gives an average of one to every 790 heads