Mountains of corpses: the deadliest attack of the 1918–19 influenza pandemic in the city of Calcutta

The 100th anniversary of the 1918–19 influenza pandemic provides us an opportunity to study the properties, spread and impact of pandemics and devise new strategies to mitigate their effect. The present discussion is an untold story about a noxious influenza pandemic that strechted its deadly scratches in the city of Calcutta in 1918–19 with an unexpected toll. It is not known whether Calcutta became infected by ship or by rail. Calcutta appeared to be the main disseminating centre for the disease in Bengal and its spread was undoubtedly because of the relatively excellent railway communication. Against such a backdrop, the present attempt sets out to explore (i) the spreading pattern of the pandemic (ii) preventive measures taken by the people and by the government (iii) how the government handled this challenge (iv) the general attitude regarding the pandemic, and (v) the role of the native press in reporting and handling this pandemic. This research effort has utilized archival documents, microfilms, census reports, books, memoirs, and gazetteers to divulge people’s experience of the colonial bureaucracy, an ineffective public health care system, and its negligence. The study tries to set an example to understand the post-pandemic strategies so that prevention and control programmes can be tailored to corresponding changes in epidemiological response.