Volume 3

Report of the Municipal Commissioner on the Plague in Bombay for the year ending 31st May 1899 (-31st May 1901). (Charts and Diagrams to accompany the Municipal Commissioner's Plague Report for the year ending 31st May 1900).

  • Harvey, W.L.
Date:
1899
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    The epidemic proper may be said to have commenced on the 26th December and from that day onwards there were only 3 days on which 1 had no report of Plague cases or deaths, F d' G, (Petrel.)—Infection was brought into F and G Ward (Parel) by rats which most probably migrated from the Southern Districts of the city ; as at the outset of the epidemic was characterized by finding plague cases and deaths simultaneously with dead rats, that is, in 604, Parel Road, 51-70 and 72, Curry Road from which the epidemic spread northwards to Suparibag Road, 79-67 and 57, and later still to Parel village, Government House, Mounted Police Lines, Governor’s Road, Elphinstone Road. Worli.—The same thing happened in Worli when the epidemic began in Haines Road and Dhobighat, whence it spread northwards up to De Lisle Road and Arthur Road into the north of the section. The disease was chiefly (almost entirely in fact) confined to the lower classes (except in the case of Goanese of which a fair number died), and communities attack- ed may be classed as follows :— ~ 1. Marathas. 2. Mochis. 3. Muhammadans and Perdesis. 4. Parsis and Brahmins, 5. Native Christians. The epidemic proper commenced in Parel in January, increased in February, reached its climax in March and declined in April to May. I cannot see that this section was affected to any appreciable extent by famine-stricken people or vagrant people as this class of people seem to wander through the section towards the heart of the City, and do not stay here in any great numbers. Worli, Malum and Dharavi.— The Worli and Maliim sections showed a clean bill of health until October when two imported cases were reported, one from Dhobi Talao to Mori Road No. 565, another from Arthur Road Hospital to Custom Road No. 478, and the first local case occurred in a tailor’s shop in Mahim Bazaar. In November 1900 only 3 Plague cases occurred in Mahim Bazaar, and then there was none up to 22nd December when Plague broke out in Purbadevi Road from when it spread all over the section. At the same time the disease attacked Worli. The infection was without doubt from rats which were found in quantities dead and dying. From Worli 1st Paeady it worked its way steadily northwards through 2nd and 3rd Paeady (its coining being regularly heralded by news of dead rats,) until it reached Worli Koliwada where it joined the Purbadevi epidemic. From Purbadevi it spread steadily northwards through Mahim Bazaar on the west and Lady Jamsetji Road on the east until it reached the confines of the district. The disease travelled very slowly and constantly harked back to localities through which it had passed and so slowly did it travel that it has only just in May reached Dharavi. This, however, is not unusual, and 1 think the year under report is very much the same as other years. The communities chiefly attacked were :— 1, Manvaries, Bunias and Marathas. 2, Panchkalsis and Kolis, 3, Parsis and Goanese. T have very little to report as most people from this section leave their houses and go into the fields when Plague breaks out amongst them. Consequently there is little reinfec- tion of localities In Sion and Sewri sections, the epidemic started with importations from Poona and Nasik in September, but it was not until February that indigenous cases made their appearance in various parts of the sections. These reached their height in March when the epidemic obtained a firm footing. In April and May the epidemic began to decline but very gradually. Communities Attached.—The disease appears to have attacked all classes alike, but most severely the lower classes of Hindoos. T nlike other parts of the district the epidemic took no regular course but broke out everywhere, Vincent Road, Matunga, Sewri and Sion and Bhoiwada all producing a large crop of cases at the same time.
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