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Captain Boileau, District Officer. F. and Gr. Wards, gives a number
of similar instances in support of the prophylactic treatment. The most
striking is that of Worli Mharwada—a most plague-stricken spot in former
years. During the year under report the whole place (179 people) except
4 were inoculated. None of these got plague, but of the 4 uninoculated
two succumbed to the disease. Among several instances of inoculated
persons who were attacked with plague but recovered, the two following
are worthy of record;—
(i) Muctabai Balloo died of plague on 13th November 1899. Her husband Balloo
and her son were inoculated as contacts the following day. Balloo when next seen,
within 5 days after inoculation, appeared all right. On 9th December he was found
to be suffering from bubonic plague (gland in the left groin). According to his own
statement he seems to have been taken with the plague a fortnight afcer inoculation, so
that when seen on the above date (9th December) he had had the plague about a
week. The bubo could be distinctly felt, but the symptoms on the whole were of a
mild type and he walked up to us for examination. According to his own statement
congee and brandy was the main treatment adopted by him. He was all right by
the 19th December.
(ii) Mr. Ath aide's cook's mate—Was inoculated in December and attacked
in March. On the 3rd day he got bubos on both sides of the throat, went to hospital
for 5 or 6 days and got all right. He went back to work, ate a whole fowl, and got
bad again the second day. Two bubos appeared in the groins, but after another
week in hospital he made a complete recovery.
From the Central District it would be possible to give numerous
examples of the protection afforded by inoculation, but the following
extract from Captain Bolton's report will suffice ;—
In the following chawls inoculations were performed on nearly every resident
and plague has been conspicuous by its absence among them since. The attacks in
these chawls were confined to new arrivals from the famine-stricken districts
who had not been previously inoculated.
Duncan Koad—439, 513, 545, 529 and 601 ; Kajipoora—the whole street;
Bellasis Road—90, 116 and 128 ; Telly Mohla—102 j Grant Road—177.
These chawls, with the exception of 102, Telly Mohla, contain mostly Hindus,
who have all been inoculated—601. Duncan Road may be quoted as a typical case.
The building, which is practically two chawls in one, was a hot-bed of plague
during the last epidemic and up to November. In that month the Hindus residing
in the rear portion and on the southerly end of the front side were inoculated.
Not one case of plague has occurred amongst them since. A few Mahomedans of
the barber community who occupy the few rooms on the northern end of the front
portion of the chawl facing the road, have had seven cases of plague since January
last. In my opinion these houses are veritable beds of plague, and only those
guarded by inoculation can live in them without fear.
District Officers were asked to note and report all cases of plague
occurring in inoculated persons that might come to their notice, and the
total number of cases so reported was 204, of whom 53 recovered and
151 died. Of these cases 13 were not certainly diagnosed as plague, but