27
General
Remarks.
Rats.
The year's experience has thrown no new light upon the ways of
Plague. Regarding rats the District Officer, A. Ward, Captain Lock,
writes :—
During the period extending over August to April there were two distinct
visitations of Rat-Plague mortality. The first in August 1899 extended to Septem-
ber, the second in February 1900 continuing to May 1900. During the intervening
periods many dead rats were found and more heard of, but not by any means in so
marked a manner as during the times referred to. It may be mentioned that
during the latter part of the year a great crusade was carried on in this district
against rats and, under instructions, was discontinued in December 1900. Men were
employed with cages and bait; poison was freely put down; every help was given
to private persons to clear out rat-infested quarters. Whatever the cause, rats were
very little in evidence during the months of October, November, December and
January as regards mortality. The mortality of rats marked distinctly the beginnings
of the epidemic, first in the Fort Section and again in Fort South when attacked for
the first time during the epidemic, to any great extent. It is beyond contention
that rats are a serious cause of infection. The history of nearly all cases among
human beings has proved a close connection with previous mortality among the rats.
It is worth recording that on the 28th September Captain Lock found
no less than 79 dead rats in turning out a small shop in Colaba Village.
Lieutenant Dalgliesh in B. Ward, North, noticed that the number of
rats killed varied inversely as the mortality among human beings ; in-
formation was not often given him about the finding of dead rats, and
when it was, he had to make careful enquiries, as the information was
often falsely given in order to secure for an enemy the discomforts of dis-
infection. Except in the case of Europeans resident on the hills the
District Officer, D. Ward, found the same reticence about dead rats. Out
of 102 cases of Plague on Malabar and Cumballa Hills no less than 62
were preceded by the discovery of dead rats. In E. Ward West the
mortality among rats was exceptionally heavy at the beginning of March
when Plague was at its worst.
Captain Walling writes of Wari -Bundar :—
Rats did not play such an important part this year as they did last ; but I can
give a few instances of their being found dead before human beings were attacked.
I. In a kitchen in Hamilton's Hotel, Mazaganm Road, 4 dead rats were
found ; the following week 4 of the servants occupying the rooms were
attacked. On a dead rat being found in the bungalow itself, follow-
ing on the cases the bungalow was vacated. Last year dead rats
were found in the same bungalow.
II. A house at the entrance of Muzawarpacady Cross Lane. This resulted
in the death of a servant and 3 other occupants of the house. The
time that elapsed between the finding of the dead rat and the first
attack is not definitely known, but was about 6 days.
III. In Lion's Den, Matarpacady, occupied by respectable Parsis, 2 dead
rats were found. About 15 days after one female member was
attacked and died 5 days after at Mathevan where she had gone.
IV. In No. 64 Copper Smith St. 3 dead rats were found in a store-room on the
ground floor. In this case the occupants of the house escaped infection,
but 2 cases within a week after occurred in a house exactly opposite.
The road is a narrow one and the entrance of the storeroom opened on
to the road. No dead rats were, however, found in the latter house.