A filarial story in the history of Madras

If this article had been written in the 1930s, I would have titled it An Early Notice of Filariasis in Madras History. What was a surprising find in recent times for me was that back in the 17th Century, St. Thomas Mount was a hotspot for filariasis as well. This is highlighted in Dr. John Fryer’s account of Madras in his A New Account of East India and Persia, being nine years’ travels 1672 -1681. Fryer disapproved of most things Indian and that included much of Madras, in particular the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple, then in old Black Town where the High Court stands. As for elephantiasis, he notes that at St. Thomas Mount lived “a cast of people, one of whose legs are as big as an Elephant’s” and he considers this a judgement on those who allegedly killed St. Thomas centuries earlier.