143
January 1899—only one month after evacuation. From the above it is apparent
that disinfection must be carefully done, and when the house is thoroughly dry
quick-lime wash must be applied throughout."
It would be impossible to give the plague history of all infected
houses in Bombay, or even of all the badly infected houses, but the fol-
lowing examples selected in the Central District and recounted by
the Sectional Medical Officers are typical. They show in each instance
the cases that occurred, the measures adopted, and how far they were
successful.
Umarkhadi—
Dr. Fazl Ahmed.
History of some of the Worst Houses.
1. House No. 87, Tandel Street.—This is the house which started the disease in
' the street. After the epidemic bi'oke out at Coorla, a village in the Thana District, a
Khojah merchant named Ahmed Shariff, who carried on his business at Goa, fled
with his two daughters to Goa. When he arrived (passing on his way) at Bombay,
he took up bis residence in the house under report. He wanted to stop here for a
few days and then leave for his destination. Two days after his arrival hero, both of
his daughters were attacked with plague on the 27th December 1898, and were
removed to the Khojah Hospital. Ten days after this accident a third case occurred
in the same house, and this was followed by two more on the subsequent day. The
last two cases occurred on 8th January of the present year. The same day the
house was disinfected and evacuated, and remained unoccupied for two months. The
result was very favourable. There has been no death since then.
2. House No. 49—51, Mahomed Khan Pakhadi.—The first case of plague in
this street occurred in this house. On 10th December two plague deaths were
reported and verified in the house. On the 11th there again occurred one attack
and one death. Whereupon the house was disinfected and evacuated. The tenants
were so terrified that they dared not return to the house for three months. The
result was very encouraging, as there occurred no case since the time the house
was re-occupied, not even a natural death.
3. House JSo. 432—434, Jakaria Masjid Street.—In this house there occurred
four seizures of plague in a day on 24th March 1899. They were removed to the
Bhujwari Jamat Plague Hospital. The fifth attack occurred on 26th and the sixth
on 27th of the same month, and all these patients were removed to the same
hospital one after another. The house was disinfected and evacuated on the 28th,
and remained vacant for a month. The result was very satisfactory, as no case
occurred since.
4. House No. 65, Kambekar Street.—Early in February two cases occurred in
a little house in Kambekar Street. The patients were servants of a respectable
Meinon. The first case occurred on 1st February and second on 3rd February.
These two cases were followed by a suspicious death on 11th. The house was
disinfected and evacuated on 12th. It remained unoccupied for ten days. The
result was very successful, as there has been no case since.
5. Bouse No. 37, Mahomed Khan Pakhadi—The occupants are all Mahome-
dans of limited means. There occurred a plague case on 27th March and another
two days after. No more plague was reported from the house, but suspicious deaths
were continually reported one after another till the number reached eight. The
occupants were asked to leave the house of their own accord, which they did on
12fch, and re-occupied it on 20th. Since then no plague case has occurred.