147
Bandora
Slaughter
Houses.
Dr. Fazl Ahmed reports as follows upon plague at the Bandora
Slaughter Houses, and his remarks about the great assistance rendered
by Khan Bahadur Abdul Razak and the other volunteers are fully
justified :—
The population of the compound according to the last Census is 518. The bulk of the
population is made up of Mahomedan butchers working in the Slaughter House. They live
in barracks built for them in the compound. These people are very rude, ignorant, very
excitable and turbulent. Their habits are very dirty and their mode of living very
unhygenic.
Notwithstanding all these disadvantages, the year under report has been a very lucky
one, as far as the health of the population is concerned. The total mortality for the year was
18. There occurred 5 plague cases this year of which 3 ended fatally, one recovered and
one is suffering still. He is on a fair way to recover, and is making a slow but steady
improvement.
The disease has hitherto confined itself to the butchers only and has not attacked the
chawls of the Begaris, who are Hindoos of low castes, Dhers, and Mahars. As the habits
of these people are very dirty and as they walk about naked and insufficiently clad, they
present almost unlimited opportunities for the entrance into their tissues of the plague
poison by inoculation through exits and abrasions. Over and above this, their dwellings are
very insanitary and overcrowded and consequently the disease spreads with alarming speed
when once imported. Fortunately the disease did not attack the chawls of these people
this year.
Great attention was paid to improve the barracks, during the year under report.
People were advised time after time to keep their houses clean and let the fresh air in. The
danger of the disease breaking out as an epidemic was imminent and grew every day more
and more, as the plague was raging in the town of Bandora and especially in a locality of
the town known as "Wadi where the relations of the butchers are living. Precautionary
measures were adopted and the population kept under strict observation.
The butchers objected very strongly against the removal of their patients to the Hos-
pital and hence they Avère allowed to keep them at their houses, on condition that they
vacated the adjoining rooms. The rooms were thoroughly disinfected including the kit and
household effects, before the inmates were allowed to re-occupy their rooms. The measure
proved very effectual as there occurred not a single case of re-infection in these houses.
The work is not easy among these people who look upon all our measures as ridiculous
and the disinfection as an uncalled for annoyance. "Difficult, as the work really was, it was
considerably facilitated by the timely and the materially useful help given by the volunteers
Messrs. Alikhan Shahabuddin and Mahomed Kasum. They helped on every occasion
and their influence and popularity smoothed the path and action could be taken completely
peacefully and quietly. Their services require a special recognition.
Khan Balladur Abdul Razak bin Kurtas, the Chairman of the Bandora Slaughter
House Volunteer Committee, deserves much credit, as through his tact and skill, he kept
the volunteers in union with each other and constantly drew their attention towards their
duties. Though living at Bombay, he showed a deep interest in the welfare of the people
in the Slaughter House and kept himself well informed of the state of affairs throughout the
year. He paid a visit to the place whenever required.