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fected ; there were others who realised the danger and ran away from it,
but deliberately abstained from giving any information so as to avoid
disinfection. But the greater number either did not realize or preferred
to take the risk, arid simply ignored the death of rats. The following
account of an outbreak of plague in Colaba, at the beginning of the year,
shows how close is the relation between plague among rats and plague
among human beings, and seems to show that rats undoubtedly can spread
plague among human beings :—
" After a break of nearly two months a recrudescence of plague occurred in
" Colaba village in July 1898. It is a small thickly populated insanitary area at
" the extreme south of the Island. Not more than two or three dead rats were found,
" and these not in any particular house, but in the gullies between houses. Eats
" were, however, found in the houses of two Europeans in Middle Colaba: this was
" not brought to light until a case of plague had occurred in each house, one proving
" fatal. The dead rats had been found from six to seven days before the attacks. In
" the first week in September 1898, dead rats were found in large quantities in the
" compound of a disused bungalow in Upper Colaba adjoining a small native bazaar
" known as the Parses Bazaar. The rats were not found until in a decomposed state
" and no medical examination was possible. On the 13th September a case of plague
" occurred in this bazaar, the occupants of the room were turned out and also the
" rooms on either side and the premises thoroughly disinfected. Cases, however,
" went on occurring, one or two a day, until the number reached 20, when the whole
" bazaar was vacated and the inhabitants camped out. One more case occurred
" three days later, and that was the last."
The number of Europeans who have been attacked with plague
during past epidemics has been markedly small, and in a large number
of the cases that have occurred among them the attacks have been preced-
ed by the finding of dead rats in their residences. This has been
especially the case in Elphinstone Circle, which has produced more
European cases than any other single locality. On this subject the Dis-
trict Health Officer, Dr. Cayley, wrote on 12th May 1899 :—-
u The only part of Bombay practically in which Europeans have suffered
" to any extent from plague has been Elphinstone Circle. This, in my opinion, is
" due to the fact that there are double floors to these buildings, in which rats swarm.
" The space between the floors is foul. There were cases of plague in the house
" in question last year, as well as this year. The same is likely to recur next
" year unless something is done. I have looked at several of the houses
" where plague has occurred. They are mostly clean, light and airy. The double
" floors with the facilities they give for the breeding of rats are the main points
" in which these houses differ from other European houses, and I am confident that
*' this is the cause of these houses being infected with plague."
In view of these facts it was decided to call upon the owners of
these houses to do away with the double floors.
No important observations were recorded during the year regarding
the migration of rats ; but it very commonly occurred that when
a house was attacked by plague, enquiry elicited that dead rats had been
found a few days previously and that then all traces of rats had dis-
appeared. It is a point difficult to establish that the rats brought