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(10) Harischandra Narayan (Hospital Assistant) reported ill on the 9th instant.
He now and then visited Mr. Chonker during his illness, but I think he caught
plague in his house situated in Moogbhat Lane, his brother having died on the 8th
instant of pneumonia plague. I saw him at his house on the llth and advised him to
go to the hospital, where he preferred the treatment of the hospital Vaidya. He had
pneumonia, was delirious and died on the 13th instant. His other brother who came
to see him also died of the same disease.
(11) Sadasiv Anandrao (Ward boy) who attended on Mr. Balkrishna, Corapoun-
der, reported himself sick on the 13th instant. He had very high temperature and
strong headache and diarrhoea. He has got over these symptoms and is now
convalescent.
REMARKS.—From the above history it would be seen that there was nothing un-
usual with the sanitary condition of the wards of the hospital. None of the patients
from the Relapsing Fever Ward, Observation or Convalescent Ward got bad while the
staff was so dreadfully attacked. No one of the staff was inoculated with prophylactic
serums, and they were more or less careless of the results of contact with plague
patients.
Two rats were found dead in the dispensary room below a cupboard. One can-
not say how long the rats lay decomposing there. It is believed that the late House-
Surgeon finding the place infected with rats had placed some rough-on-rats here and
there and that the rat might have died of the poison, But one thing is certain that
the Gompounder, the Dispensary-boy and Hospital Assistant, used to sit for hours
together in the dispensary room, inhaling the foul air and not minding the stink from
the dead rat. I noticed the stink on the 5th instant and removed the dispensary and
the office to other sheds close by and disinfected and vacated the quarters.
L. B. DHARGALKER.
PLAGUE RESEARCH LABORATORY, MAZAGON.
BOMBAY, 12th October 1898.
To J. H. DuBOULAY, Esq., I.O.S.
Sm,—With reference to attached papers, 1 have the honour to state that I am
of opinion that the recently occurring cases of plague among the staff of the Mara-
tha Hospital were due to infection one from the other.
I am inclined to lay special stress on the history in each case, except the first
of exposure to infection in a dwelling other than the hospital.
The first case (Gopal Powar) may very possibly have contracted the disease in
the performance of his duties.
I visited the hospital again this morning, and found that case No. 4 had died
in the meantime, and that case No. 5 was moribund.
Another of the staff has been attacked (on the 10th). In this case also there
is a history of infection at home, the man's brother having died recently of plague
pneumonia. This man also visited No. 2 before the latter's death on the 2nd
instant.
With reference to the hospital arrangements, I consider that the wards are rather
crowded, especially in view of the fact that there are a larger proportion of plague
pneumonia cases occurring among this community than usual. If it were possible,
I think it would be desirable to have this class of cases treated in a separate ward,
with extra space per bed, and by special assistants who should be warned as to the