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to-do Cutchi Memons, with comparatively cleanly habits, The building is a three-
storied one.
There occurred three cases in the house on 17th January 1899. The first
man attacked was a servant who got fever on 15th, and the other two were
laid down with fever on 16th. Plague symptoms appearing on the night of
16th, all three were removed to the Cutchi Memon Plague Hospital.
The fourth case occurred on 19th of the same month, that is, two days after
the three first cases. The house was disinfected and vacated on 28th, and it remained
unoccupied for a month. The result has been very favourable. No case has
occurred since then.
This case shows how plague attacks the well-to-do Memon houses, that
is, the servants are attacked first and then their masters.
2nd Nagpada—
Dr. Munjee.
1. House No. 30, Mustan Tank.—The house is made of brick and wood. The
ground-floor consists of earth and is consequently always damp. The other floors
are made of wooden planks and earth. The house is fairly open on all sides
and is not surrounded by high buildings. With all this, the two uppermost
stories are very dark and ill-ventilated, in consequence of had method of its construc-
tion, which does not provide sufficiently for light and air.
This house has twelve cases, the first occurring on 10th January 1899.
Most of the cases were found on ground floor rooms. The infection began with
three cases in the month of January, dates of which are as follows :—
First case occurred on 6th January 1899. On this day the infected room,
together with two adjoining rooms on each side, was evacuated and disinfected. The
tenants of the above rooms were sent to camps, where they were detained for about
a fortnight. In the meantime, before the people returned from camps there was
again a case on 10th January 1899. The same procedure of disinfection and
evacuation was again resorted to. The third case took place on 24th January
1899. By this time all the people who were removed to camps had returned.
The same procedure of evacuation and disinfection was again followed with the
satisfactory result—though a short-lived one—that the infection stopped for about
a month and-a-half. But again it made its appearance with increased virulence, at
this time in the month of March, which witnessed six cases, dates of the cases
being as follows :—
Two cases on 13th March 1899 ; three on 14th March 1899 ; and one on
15th March 1899. As each case took place, the method of disinfection and
evacuation as stated above was strictly followed.
This had the effect of stopping the infection again for the second time for one
full month. For the third time the infection was again noticed in the month of
April, when three cases were discovered on the following dates :—two cases on
14th April 1899 and one on 25th April 1899. This time it was thought desirable
to vacate and thoroughly disinfect the whole building. This rigorous procedure had
a very satisfactory result, as even though the house was allowed to be reoccupied
on 8th May 1899—after an interval of thirteen days' complete evacuation—no
oase has been discovered till now. In this house at least it cannot be said that the
infection was kept up by the dirty habits of the inhabitants, for it is inhabited only
by high class Mahrattas mostly belonging to the soldier class of former times,
They observe a fair amount of cleanliness in their habits. The fault, in my opinion
is due to the bad method of construction which allows very little of free air and
light inside the rooms.