21
falling at the end of the year, the disease can hardly be said to have got
out of the epidemic stage by the 31st May.
1st Nagpada.—As in Kamatipura, so in 1st Nagpada, the worst
week was that ending 17th March 1900. The epidemic in other
respects followed precisely the same lines as in Tardeo.
The following remarks from the report of Dr. Kapadia, Sectional
Medical Officer, Kamatipura, are applicable generally to E. Ward,
West :—
The present epidemic differed from that of the previous years in its late com-
mencement. It commenced about the beginning of January, although infected cases
were found in the section in the previous months, and daily gained in strength till
about the end of April, when its virulence began to abate. There was not such a
marked fall in the mortality as well as marked diminution in the number of cases
as in the previous years but a gradual one. There was an unprecedented and
terrible epidemic of small-pox such as Bombay people have not noticed for nearly a
quarter of a century, and diarrhoea raged in an epidemic form for several
weeks, carrying off many victims. There was no marked death-rate among the
famine-stricken or immigrant vagabonds, but the poor people of the section readily
fell victims to those and other diseases, because their constitution was greatly impaired,
on account of the dearness of food and low wages consequent on the stoppage of
several mills and other business places ; and they were unable to resist their invasion.
There were a large number of Vagi-is and Vadars and other arrivals from famine-strick-
en districts, who occupied and built temporary sheds over the available open spaces ;
but these, on persuasion, readily submitted to be inoculated, and hence there was very
little Plague among them. From personal observations and from the report of
leading residents of the section, I may state here that the population was about five
or sis thousand in excess of that in the previous year, and the increased mortality
this year from other cases may be in part accounted for by this increase.
E Ward, Wari
Bundar.
In the Wari-Bimdar District, including Mazagaum, Tarwari and
Ghorupdeo, the worst of the epidemic was between the end of Decem-
ber and the end of March.
The District Officer, Captain Walling, writes as follows :—
The epidemic commenced in August 1899, gradually increasing until March
when it began to subside. Hyderali's chawl, Par el Eoad, in Tarwari section, was
first attacked, while about the same time the southern part of Mazagon section,
viz., Wari Bundar Road, where there was an accumulation of huts, was also attacked.
The disease then gradually began to spread northwards in both these sections,
until in the 3rd week of November it assumed epidemic form in Ghorupdoo section.
In Mazagon section its course and progress appears to have been more uniform
and less severe than in the preceding year ; the Plague mortality for the year beincr
only 399 as against 875 for 1898-99.
The disease first started in epidemic form in Wari Bundar Hoad, then spreading
eastward, attacked Church Street, Dolkar Street, Carpenter Street and Muzawar-
pacadi. Koliwada, which lies to the extreme east of the section, and which was
evacuated last year on account of the number of Plague cases, enjoyed a comparative
immunity. Carpenter Street, which also last year was badly infected, practically
escaped by the early exodus of the majority of its inhabitants, Nowanagar, situated
in Magazine Road, however, suffered severely. Houses 34 ? 44 and 38 were
hot-beds ; 34 was temporarily evacuated and disinfected, whilst its tenants and