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It is difficult to say definitely in cases in which whole families have been
attacked, how far rat infection has played its part and how much of the infection
is due to personal contact with patients.
At house No. 109, Kalbadevi Road, a whole family of 7 persons was attacked
with plague, out of which all died. Four people were found sick by me on 29th Janu-
ary 1901. The history given was that the uncle was attacked four days previously,
and his son was attacked three days after, and on the 29th idem the two nephews were
attacked, i.e., fully 7 days after. There was a death in the same room on 27th idem.
On 9th February 1901, another relative who had attended on these people,
was attacked. On the 10th February 1901 the brother of the first deceased died of
the same disease ; and on 13th February 1901 the remaining relative was attacked
with plague. Both these were in attendance on their relatives.
Another instance of this kind was noted at No. 46, Kitchen Garden. A woman
sickened with plague on 23rd January 1901 and died on the 28th idem. Her hus-
band and two children sickened on the 29th idem. The father died on the 30th
and the two children were then removed to hospital. On 3rd February three other
relatives got plague and were removed to hospital. The remaining two relatives
sickened on the 4th February 1901 and were removed to hospital.
Dr. Gimi, in charge of Dhobi Talao section, states that out of 120
patients segregated, 49 recovered and the remainder died, while there
were 126 removed to hospital during the year.
Dr. Bardi, the Sectional Medical Officer for Fanaswadi and Bhulesh-
war sections, states his views as follows :—
Isolation in the true sense of the word was impossible in a majority of cases.
How many a time have I seen healthy persons in the same bed with a
plague stricken-relative and dissuaded them against such a practice, but all to no
purpose. As far as I was able I always advised them to throw their excreta into the
nahnis and pour over the excreta some antiseptic solution, which could be easily
obtained from us, or even hot water, and to keep the patients alone in separate
beds, but this advice was never acted on in the majority of cases.
The following is a very good case in point as regards incidence of plague in
a house in which cases are isolated. It must, however, be borne in mind that all
necessary precautions were neglected, as they were in this case.
A servant of a naikin living in No. 58-62, Fanaswadi got plague on 22nd
January 1901, and he was isolated in the house under the treatment of
Dr. P. J. de Souza, on the 2nd floor. The other persons in the family occupied the
1st floor. The patient died on 27th January 1901. Only the room in which the
patient had been was disinfected. The naikin who had moved to No. 18,
Fanaswadi, got plague the same day that the servant died, i.e., 27th January
1901. This woman recovered subsequently after a sloughing bubo. I was then
informed that another member of the same household got plague in another part of
the town and died there.
I think, that one good point about the present system of home isolation is
that it is the means of bringing almost all cases of plague to our notice, and as
such it has been decidedly successful though there is still a good deal of conceal-
ment, as is proved by the large number of plague deaths which are reported after
death, and of which no information was received during life. And this after
making due allowance for all those cases in which the disease has run a very
rapid course. Moreover, it must be remembered that the diagnosis is anything but
easy, and the patients die before there is time for a report to be made.
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