Calcutta Geographical Review December 1943

The rivers of considerable importance in the mechanism of malaria in large sections of the Wet and Intermediate Zones of rainfall flow in all directions to the sea and in may cases during periods of dry weather present a series of mile upon mile of sand and rock pools favouable to the breeding of our vector (A. [...] It includes the Northern Province (excepting a small portion of the North-West corner of the Jaffna Peninsula) the whole of the North-Central Province the Northern and and North-Central and a small section of the Western area of the NortWestern Province a small portion of the Northern and North-Eastern part of the Central Province the SoutEastern area of the Sabaragamuwa Province the Ea [...] 'Soma ' meaning moon and 'natha' meaning master so that the word Somanatha meant master of the moon.4 It is in connexion with the description of Somanatha that Albiruni describes the phenomena of the ebb and the flow of the tides. [...] According to him the educated Hindus used to determine the daily ebb and flow of the tides by the rising and the setting of the moon the monthly phases by the increase and the waning of the moon; but he was of the opinion that they did not know the physical causes of both phenomena. [...] On the mathematical and the astronomical side he discussed the antipodes and the roundity of the earth the determination of its movements and gives the latitudes and longtudes of numerous places in India as well as outside of it.' Finally we usually find Albiruni taking due notice of the operation of the geographical factor in human affairs and attempting to establish an interelationship