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remained tenanted when dead rats had heen found. It is worth noting
that during April and May when the epidemic was subsiding, houses
which had heen locked up and deserted by the residents were opened
and disinfected prior to re-occupation, and in the course of this a few
dead rats were constantly being found.
At the beginning of December the District Officer, D Ward, wrote
that in the past three months reports of dead rats had been received
from 19 places. In every case disinfection was promptly carried out.
In seven instances cases of plague occurred within a week after
the dead rats were found. In this district it was especially remarked
that reports of dead rats were frequent at the time when the mortality
began to rise in the various sections, but except on Malabar and
Cumballa Hills little was heard about them when the epidemic was
at its height. The District Officer holds strongly to the opinion that
the rats moving from place to place took the plague with them. One
case occurred when no less than 30 dead rats were found in a Marvari's
shop, but no plague occurred in the vicinity.
Speaking generally of E Ward, instances have been frequent
where dead rats have been found before plague appeared, and about a fort-
night before the epidemic became really virulent they were being found
all over the district in large numbers. This was especially marked in
Byculla.
Dr. Godinho, Deputy Health Officer, doing plague duty in the
Mazagaon section of this District, writes :—
" Early in January rats began to die. First at the southern end, then further
" and further north. When they were found by our disinfecting parties, they were
" either dead or listless, moving about rooms where water could be easily obtained.
" I may take this occasion to mention two interesting facts: A plague case
" had occurred in Gokaldas Wadi, No. 109. The patient had been brought during
" the night from elsewhere. This was a case of plague pneumonia. Four or five
" days after this, in the contiguous rooms on each side plague cases occurred. The
" patients were removed to hospital and the people to camp. When the rooms were
" being disinfected, so many as 14 rats sick and dying were found. This, I am
'* inclined to think, was a case of infection from man to rat. Just the reverse obtained
" in Carpenter Street. Eats died in house No. 8 ; without giving the District Officer
" any notice, the owner closed his house and left Bombay. The neighbours were also
" ignorant of the fact. Two or three days afterwards, more rats died in the house
" and began to decompose. The neighbours then complained. It was too late—the
" rats of the locality were infected and began to die. A few days later, people began
" to take ill and die. Without any exception, every house in Carpenter Street
" suffered. The people moved into their own camp at Matunga. Dr. Pathare, a
" resident of that locality, whose house was the last to be attacked was also the last to
" fall a victim to the disease. It was afterwards ascertained that some dead rats had
" been found in the rear of the house near the privies."
The District Officer, F and G Wards, as most others, found
it difficult to obtain precise information on this subject; but he notes the
almost complete disappearance of rats during the monsoon of 1898,