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22 per cent., and A and D Wards following with about 15 per cent, in
each case. In other districts the proportion was much smaller ; it was
to a very large extent the well-to-do classes with private hospitals of
their own who most readily went to these institutions, and these classes
are much more numerous in A, B, C and D Wards than in the northern
parts of the city. The voluntary removal of patients to hospital is
highly desirable from many points of view, but as information of them
was not, as a rule, given to the District Officer concerned till after
arrival of the patient in hospital, he constantly found that the residence
of the patient was in such cases entirely deserted, and it was therefore
often impossible for him to satisfy himself that the kit in the infected
rooms was properly disinfected. Friends and neighbours gave but little
information—the highest proportions being in B Ward South 9 per
cent, and in A Ward 8 per cent. The class of persons who are bound
by law to give information of any plague case that they may become
cognisant of in a dwelling, viz., medical practitioners, gave least assistance
of all. It should, however, be remembered that a number of the most promi-
nent medical practitioners in Bombay were members of various Volunteer
Committees, and reported a large number of cases in that capacity.
Thus in A Ward against 42 reported by private practitioners in their
ordinary practice, 82 were reported by the 3 medical men who were
working as volunteers. In a certain number of cases it was found
necessary to call upon professional gentlemen for an explanation of their
apparent failure to report plague cases that they came across in their
practice, but the difficulties of diagnosis are often admittedly great, and
though in many cases there was little real doubt it was generally
impossible to prove in these cases that they were aware of the nature of
the disease. Two cases were, however, taken into court—in one the doctor
concerned made an official apology and the complaint was withdrawn, in
the other the accused was convicted and fined. In three other cases the
medical practitioners admitted their failure to comply with the law, and
as they expressed regret and promised amendment they were not pro-
secuted. Difficulty was often experienced in dealing with plague cases
in consequence of the delay which occurred in the submission of their
reports by medical men, or the insufficiency of the addresses given. The
profession complained bitterly that they were handicapped in this matter,
that owing to their compliance with their legal obligations they
lost a great portion of their practice, and that quacks and native vaids
drove a roaring trade, treating and concealing plague cases without let or
hindrance, Some doubt was felt as to whether an unqualified man could
be regarded as a medical practitioner within the meaning of the law, but
this has been set at rest by a recent prosecution ending in the conviction
of a vaid who had failed to report a case. Men of this class, however,
cannot be expected to have much professional pride, and it is a simple
matter for them to say that they were ignorant of the nature of the
disease. The following is an instance in point. A case was found by
the Plague Staff, and unhesitatingly diagnosed as plague by two fully
qualified and most experienced medical men. It was under the treat-