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Origin of the Plague.—The history of the origin of the· plague is uncertain,,
but the generally conceived idea is that it was brought from Karachi. To bear out
the statement, I have been at some trouble collecting evidence, and one of the
residents here during the whole of the epidemic, and one likely to know about it,
states that a segregation camp for passengers from Bombay who were suffering from
the plague was constructed towards the end of the year 1896. About February 1897
quarantine was enforced against passengers from Bombay and Karachi, and about
March last a few cases of plague occurred in Maska, a village about three miles away
from Mandvi, whereupon a special Segregation Act was passed for the Province
of Cutch. The origin of this disease in Maska is this : A woman and her
child, passengers from Karachi, who were affected with plague were in the
camp near Maska, and this woman, who from the symptoms apparently suffered
from the pneumonic type of the disease, was nursed by her sister-in-law, a
resident of Maska ; the woman died, and her attendant went back to the village and
died of the disease and.ten others also, who were members of the same family. Segre-
gation and isolation stopped the plague there, and no further cases occurred for a time.
About the beginning of March a few isolated cases of plague occurred m Mandvi,
and on 25th March two cases occurred amongst the Mahomedans at Sonawállá Náká
and one case in the Khatri Chowk amongst the Hindoo weavers. Segregation and
isolation were adopted, and the disease stopped. Unfortunately these measures were
put a stop to, and a Plague Committee was formed ; most of the members opposing
these measures. Owing to the relaxing of these rules and the great influx of people
from Bombay and Karachi, the disease once more sprang up and spread with great
rapidity. From the 21st March to the 12th April there were 37 cases in all which
were found, but the death-rate evidently. must have been excessive. As rumours of
the heavy death-rate reached the ears of the Political Agent at Bhuj, he came down
at once on the 12th and found a great many people dying of the disease. Seeing
this state of affairs he at once telegraphed to the Plague Committee, requesting help,
and they sent clown Dr. Lowson, the Plague Commissioner, who arrived, I think,
about the 22nd April and immediately set to work with the help of the Political
Agent and the local authorities to get the sick into hospital.
Further help was asked for from Bombay, with the result that I and the staff
mentioned before were despatched. Dr. Lowson remained till the 2nd of May, or
about 10 days altogether.
Death Registration.—Some method of arriving at the number of deaths was re-
quired, and it was found that the surest was the posting of reliable-men at the various
burial and burning grounds, who would take the name and address of each victim.
In this way some approximate number of deaths could be obtained. The deaths in the
city could fairly easily be estimated by posting men at the gates to count the dead as
they were removed to the various grounds outside. These measures were taken on
the 24th April, when the first attempt at registration of deaths was begun, and which
has been kept up regularly ever since.
On arrival here I found that two hospitals had been open, one for the Hindoos
called the " Brahampuri " and another for Mahomedans. The former was a large pucca-
built Dharamshala, very suitable for a hospital and capable of accommodating about 150
patients. The open verandah-like long rooms were about 200 feet in length on two
sides of a square, the other sides being occupied as cooking room, orderlies' quarters,
&G ; the middle was a quadrangle containing a well of water.
The situation of the place was also very convenient, being outside the city walls
and near the burning ghat, where so many of the unfortunate people had eventually to
go. This building belongs to a wealthy Hindoo called Ridhgar Bava, who charitably
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