29
house-to-house inspection by the military would commence on 13th March.
During the few days before that date, thousands of people including many sick
left Poona, which naturally had its effect on the mortality within city limits.
The increase in the number of removals to hospital which began, when the mili-
tary search parties started work, cannot have had much effect on the mortality
as early as 20th March. The small decrease in the mortality that occurred in
the third period of March is, in our opinion, due to the plan of campaign begin-
ning to take effect on the epidemic. After the end of March the decrease in
the mortality was rapid, and by the end of April the plague was no longer of
the dimensions of a severe outbreak. By 19th May, when the house-to-house
inspection was brought to a close, the disease may be said to have become
sporadic.
Poona Suburban Municipality.
12. The population within Poona Suburban Municipal limits according to
the census of 1891 is 6,706, exclusive of passengers enumerated at the Railway
Station. The area is 3 . 75 square miles, and 1,788 persons per square mile repre-
sents the density of population. A statement of the daily plague attacks, plague
deaths and total mortality from 2nd October 1896 to 20th May 1897 will be
found in Appendix 41. The monthly mortality during the period of the
epidemic is contrasted with the mortality in previous years in Appendix 42.
Particulars of the extent to which the various castes and nationalities were at-
tacked is given in Appendix 43.
13. The following summary of Appendix 41 contains particulars of the
plague and general mortality in each month of the epidemic :—
Month.
October ...
November ...
December ...
January ...
February ...
March ...
April ...
May 1st to 20th
Total ...
Plague attacks.
Imported.
6
1
45
89
57
20
32
5
255
Local.
...
...
...
4
8
7
1
20
Total.
6
1
45
89
61
28
39
6
275
Plague
deaths.
6
...
33
55
35
16
17
2
164
Total
mortality.
47
34
83
107
66
66
66
34
503
The first cases of plague occurred on 2nd October and were imported from
Bombay. No local case occurred till 21st February, and the disease never took
a firm hold of the Suburban Municipal area. The reasons of this probably were
the absence of over-crowding and the comparatively good sanitary condition of
the majority of the houses within Suburban limits. Mr. Plunkett noticed that
the majority of indigenous cases occurred in damp areas and near irrigation
channels.
14. The bulk of the imported cases were those of persons found at Poona
Railway Station to be suffering from plague. It is worthy of note that up to
the end of February all the imported cases, 198 in number, came from Bombay.
From Appendix 42 it will be gathered that the death-rate in ordinary seasons is
extremely high in proportion to the population. This is due to the fact that the
Sassoon Hospital, which is the general hospital for the whole of Poona, is situated
within Suburban limits. The abnormally high mortality that has prevailed
since December 1896 is in great measure accounted for by the inclusion in the
returns of imported plague cases which proved fatal. It is not believed that
any considerable number of plague deaths have been registered as due to other
causes in Suburban limits.
B 1121—8