150 THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE [March, 1936

general. Whatever may be the cause of their alleged healing power it is beyond doubt that Articles most people derive immense benefit from a Special sojourn to these places and considering the general state of health in any natural THE RADIO-ACTIVITY OF THE therapeutic agent would be welcome. THERMAL SPRINGS OF With a view to exploring the possibilities of the thermal waters of Bengal and the neigh- By N. K. CHATTERJI, b.sc. bouring provinces for therapeutic purposes I Assistant Analyst, Bengal Public Health Laboratory took up in detail the investigation of the springs There are spas and health resorts all over in and around Rajgir. the world where invalids and people with A short description of Rajgir with the topo- chronic illness flock in great numbers every graphical map (map I) should be of some inter- in year. The special importance of these places est view of its historical importance. Rajgir is

Map I

nibhar bill -? Brahm* huhd S?pUdh*r4 Gaga J??un. Vy?S hund MarKandya KunJ

RajgirRajgir withwith itsits hillshills toto Giriak.Giriak.

lies in their springs, which are usually hot and now a small village (population 2,700), 14 miles hold in solution large quantities of mineral south-west of subdivisional town of organic and gaseous matters, to which for cen- district. Historically, archseologically turies their healing power has been ascribed. and religiously, Rajgir is one of the most im- The modern view, however, tends to attribute portant places in India, being the prehistoric the beneficial effects of these places to change capital of and at one time the royal of environment, rest, disciplined exercise, diet residence of , Ajatsatru and Udayan. and habits of life, rather than to any special Lord first studied and after attaining therapeutic power of the water of the spring. used to live there in retreat and Some of these springs contain radio-active often preached and taught his disciples. There elements which, combined with a hot bath, have are many Jain temples on the hills which are probably'a stimulating effect on metabolism in associated with the memory of Lord Mahabir March, 1936] RADIO-ACTIVITY OF THERMAL SPRINGS: CHATTERJEE l5j Experimental and his disciples. The old city was surrounded The study of these thermal was con- by five hills, namely, Vaibhar, Vipula, Ratna, springs ducted in the following manner :? Uday and Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang, Sonagiri. I. in were two Chinese mentioned with Spot analyses (done situ) made travellers, Rajgriha of the and of the Tapata (hot in their account of this radio-activity gaseous con- stream) the characters of the different district. At the foot of the mount Vaibhar tents, physical waters noted. The runs the Saraswati river and there are stream spring being radio-activity was estimated Prof. Schmidt's electro- water reservoirs on the as well as on the by using west, meter. The results are summarized in table I. east bank of it. The spring water reservoir at

Table I

Parts per 100,000 Radio-activity Physical

Name Tempera- ?C. Gaseous | -r, ture, Free j Dissolved in emanation ! Colour Odour C02 oxygen ^r,M" U* | in M. IT* !

West bank.

4.9 0.23 1.2 Clear Slisrht. Saptadhara .. ] 40 11.3 0.29 414.6 8.0 Trans- S'isrht Brahma Kund .. i 42 parent. fishy. 0.4 3.8 Clear Ganga Jamuna .. 41 3.7 Slight. j 0.52 2.3 Kund Vyas Kund .. ! 40 3.7

East bank.

Sita Kund 40 8.9 0 45 5.2 Kund 40.5 10.5 0 39 6.3 ^uraj 0.69 Ham Kund (cold) 35 3.1 5.0 0.28 5.8 feringirikhi or Mokdum 35 8.1 Kund. karaswati river 30 0.8 0.5 Trace Hazy Slight earthy. ^ 1.7 0.53 Nil Clear ell at 28 Slight.

* unit) = miIIicurie^ CM. U. (Mache 3 qqq OOO the foot of the Vaibhar hill has seven outlets In this table important springs which are foot used are all of are whereas the spring water reservoir at the commonly included, which of the Vipulagiri has only six, most of which typical ones of the locality. In addition to river. these a local surface well and the river Saraswati find their way into the said Saraswati still are also included for These springs are shown in map I. Rajgir comparative study. Spring Hindu waters are more or less radio-active enjoys a reputation as a place of popular and thermal, Our as come from a and a health resort in winter. and, they great depth, these in the can study of these springs was carried out waters be considered to be reasonably free from surface following manner. contamination. The river Saras- wati though partially fed by the outflow water of these springs shows little radio-activity. As KJ"Geological t^U LU LJ OL/KA/V Vobservations vv. the units of radio-activity M. U. (Mache unit) schists are not than The Rajgiri hills consisting of slaty higher ten except for the gas, their II). is to be considered weak. quartzites are less metamorphosed (map radio-activity ^d rich mica- II. were the The locality is situated beside the Samples brought to laboratory belt of Bihar. In fact, the south-west without delay for complete mineral analysis. bearing forms corner of district (close to Rajgiri) Table II will show the mineral contents of this Gaya coincides Part of the mica-producing area which radio-active thermal spring. associated These were collected and in with a great belt of schists and samples analysed and 50 The total solid matter gneissose some 12 miles broad the month of October. granite, 4 long stretching from Hazaribagh through in solution was very small, ranging between |niles nature of the the south of subdivision into Monghyr. to 6 parts per 100,000, and the one of the of Hence the mica-bearing ores are minerals was similar. The greater portion mica Prominent minerals found in the southern, their contents is in all probability (Al2Os, sheen eastern and western neighbourhood. Si02Mg) in solution as its characteristic ' 152 THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE [March, 1936

Table II iron were also found. Alkaline substances were practically absent. The waters, being radio- are be Parts per 100,000 active and hot, invigorating and might successfully used in skin diseases, gout, etc. o : Ram Lach- On a conservative estimate of one of Brahma gallon Ions area 2 ICund Saptadhara iz water per second from this containing ?(?colrd M. U. per litre, an emanation equivalent to 70 mg. of radium would be annually available E. C. at 55.0 47.0 41.0 38.0 for purposes. 29.5?C. therapeutic COa 1.64 1.3 1.11 1.14 Discussion.?The existence of hot springs and 0.7 0.8 0.6 0.6 CI their causes in a us an interesting SO4 Nil Nil Nil minute locality give Very From to the trace. study. Rajgir border of Bengal N03 Nil Nil Nil do. there are a large number of big and small hot Si02 .. 2.05 2.15 3.2 2.4 on some # springs, the Hazaribagh side, in Aluminium 0.25 0.28 and also some near the border of A1203. Monghyr Iron As. 0.19 0.07 0.7 0.2 Gaya and Hazaribagh district (map II). The FG2O3. central areas of these border lines are famous Ca 1.0 0.81 0.75 0.75 for mica ore. As it is found that the water of 0.1 0.096 0.132 0.06 Mg. these radio-activated springs generally contain mica in solution, even the radio-active water of Na and K Minute Bakreswar, a spring situated near the border trace of Birbhum away from the superficial mica deposit, also contains mica. In support of the

Map II

N C H I R A "^"joOndal BENGAL ? HotBpring \ Rajgir and the Rajgir and the mica-bearingmica-bearing neighbourhood. neighbourhood.

appears when dried and collected on a platinum association of radio-activity with mica, is the basin. CaC03 in small quantity and traces of fact that a pocket of pitch-blende was found in March, 1936] THE MIDDLE-AGED PATIENT, AND LATER : BURKE 153 the Singar mica mines in . These springs therefore are not superficial, but, coming from a distance, derive their radio-activity by Passing this kind of ore. Again it is a through hot well-known fact that the greater number of in springs in all parts of the world are found yolcanic mountainous districts. Notwithstand- lng the fact that outbreaks may not have occurred for evidence of their former centuries, of activities may be observed by the presence old craters, lava-beds and rugged corrugations. second- In volcanic areas elsewhere, less violent, and ary phenomena, such as hot springs, geysers evidence of fumaroles smoke, give ^ emitting exist- activity beneath. As regards the possible ence of volcanic activity, we have the previous a account of Chinese travellers that there was of smoke fountain emitting thick volumes darkening the skv above, which was seen even from the then capital of Magadh kingdom (modern Bihar). in an the present time these springs are unhygienic condition and it is suggested that, as in other countries, the Government or a public utility might take over their administra- body of the t]?n as a going concern for the benefit community. I A. wish to express my thanks to Lieut.-Col. advice and Stewart, c.i.e., for his help and f?r permission to use Prof. Schmidt's electro- meter from the Institute of Hygiene and Public Also Wealth, Calcutta, for the spot analysis. my thanks are due to Dr. B. B. Brahmachari the who gave me some facilities for conducting H. Ellis C. mvestjgation as well as to Prof. vv dson and Dr. Bashir Ahmed for their help and suggestions. of I desire to thank Dr. A. It. Sen, Director the Bengal Public Health Laboratories, Calcutta, or permission to publish this paper.

References United Fitch, W. E. Mineral Waters of the (1927). Phila- American Spas. Lea and Febiger, delph" District Lister, E. (1917). Bihar and Orissa Qzetteers, Hazaribagh. Superintendent., Government Anting, Bihar and Orissa, Patna. O'Malley, L. S. S. (1907). Bengal District Gazetteers, Printing, Bihar o ,n ~ Superintendent, Government and Orissa, Patna. L. S. S. Bengal District Gazetteers, O'Malley, (1919). Bihar aVa- Superintendent, Government Printing, and Orissa, Patna. Schmidt. H. W., and ICurz, H. (1906). Physikal teitschr., Vol. VII, p. 209. D. N. and Its Neighbourhood. p ^en, (1921). Rajgir

Thresh, J. C., and Beale. J. F. (1925). The Examina- "Otts o/ Waters and Water Supplies. J. and A. Churchill, London.