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These houses, are all inhabited by poor people, the flooring mostly of mud and cow-dung
and noted for faulty drainage, want of ventilation, darkness, and dampness. Overcrowding,
is the worst feature of all the places mentioned which arc inhabited mostly by mill.hands.
CENTRAL DISTRICT.—There are some notorious Plague houses in this
district and amongst the worst the following take a foremost place :—
Umarkhadi and Chuckla Section:—No. 242/244, 2nd Donted Nos. 52 and 54, Narayan
Dhuroo Street; No. 13, Memonwada Cross Lane; No. 4 Nos. 22 and 24, Mahomed
Khan Pakhadi 1st Cross Lane; Nos. 21 and 23, Old Nagpada Street ; No. 524, Nagdevi
Road.
These houses are mostly inhabited by Ghatis and one or two by poor Mahomedans.
Their occupation is hawking, daily labour and the Mahomedans are weavers,
In 2nd Nagpada the worst houses are reported upon by Mr. Jen-
nings, the Sectional Medical Officer as follows :—
No. 104, Tank Street.—A four storied house occupied by Julahis and Mahomedan
Hindustanis was badly infected in the early part of February 1901. What was strange
about it was that the epidemic was confined to the fourth floor only, and in two "weeks
there were more than 22 cases. The method of disinfection at present in" vogue was tried
but without success. Above the fourth floor was a wooden loft, in which dust, the ac-
cumulation of nine years, was collected. On the 20th February Dr. Fraser, the C. M. O.
of the District with two gangs under Inspectors Jennings and Ferozdeen, thoroughly
disinfected the loft and first floor. While removing the dust and dirt twenty-six dead rats
were found. Every inch of the loft and ceiling was most carefully done under the direct
supervision of Dr. Fraser, the gangs working without intermission from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
This house has had no recrudescence since. The fourth floor was partly vacated during
the outbreak.
177, Grant Road.—Its history from 1st June 1899 to 31st 1900.—The House
Register shows 12 attacks and 12 deaths from plague. The population of the chawl was
about 3 times as many as it is to-day, and 9/10ths were Inoculated. From 1st June 1900 to
6th March 1901 there were 7 attacks and 8 deaths ; of the former 5 were removed to
hospital and recovered (they were all inoculated) ; the 8 deaths were amongst new comers
only. The house was vacated on two occasions, 1st on the 16th January 1899 and second
on the 19th March 1900.
The attached history of the epidemic from the 7th March 1901 speaks for itself, and
to the merits of inoculation and isolation. 38 contacts were removed to the Umerkhadi Camp
on the morning of the 18th March and one old woman died the same evening. In the morn-
ing she was well and only arrived from her country the day before. In one room out of the
sixteen persons 5 died. The great difficulty was to disinfect the place; in every room some one
was isolated. I could only manage to send one man to hospital. I reported the matter
and asked for permission to resort to our former method and anticipating the sanction
had the Municipal reel in on the 15th and 16th and washed the whole chawl out from
ceiling to base two days in succession and then had it thoroughly disinfected with
the mercurial solution.
60-62, Huzria Mohla.—This house was badly infected, in the second week in January
1901. There were no less than 6 cases in two days, 5 of which succumbed and one
recovered. The vicinity adjoining this house was immediately attacked and the plague
epidemic after passing through Huzria Mohla went on to Temker and Telly Mohlas. This
was the real commencement of the last epidemic in the section. The houses are two storied,
ill ventilated and in a dilapidated condition. The ground floors are occupied by Hindu
Mochies and the upper floor by Mahomedans. The ground floors were vacated and the
house thoroughly disinfected and kept vacant for about a month, and only allowed to be
re-occupied after sundry repairs being completed.