44
[chap. I., ΡT. IV.
One of the three fatal cases among the inoculated had no interval between the
inoculation fever and the manifestation of plague ; the others had apyretic intervals of
6 and 8 days respectively.
The events in each of the 28 families were noted on separate investigation sheets, in
which the names of every member present at the time of inoculation were entered as either
" inoculated " or " not inoculated." The occurrences in each household being entered in
each sheet below the names, it was then easy to compile the following table : —
Number
inoculated
in the 28
families.
71
INOCULATED.
Number of
Attacks.
8
Number of
Deaths.
3
NOT INOCULATED.
Number not
inoculated in
the 28 families.
64
Number of
Attacks.
27
Number of
Deaths.
2G
If the inoculated had suffered to the same extent as their uninoculated relatives, they should
have had 29 deaths from plague, instead of 3 only, which is equal to a diminution of 89.6
per cent. of mortality.
From the above account of the way in which this demonstration was carried out, it will
be evident that the conditions approached very nearly the strictness of a laboratory experi-
ment, and the results obtained may therefore be accepted with confidence.
9. Khoja Community of Bombay.—Thanks to the energetic support of Η. Η. Aga Khan,
inoculation was successfully introduced amongst the Khojas in 1897. By the 20th April
1898, 5,184 of this community had been operated on. As the operations extended over 16½
weeks, it is necessary to take the average number for comparison with the nninoculated
portion of the community, and this is found to be 3,814 persons. In the beginning of
1898 a careful census of the Khojas in Bombay was taken, which showed that 9,350 Khojas
were in the city at that time. But as many families had left the city through fear
of plague, a calculation was made from the average number of deaths registered in the
burial-book of the Jamat Khana for the five years previous to the appearance of plague, and
it was decided that 13,300 should be taken as representing the total Khoja population.
This exaggerated number, more than that found at the census, is taken so as to avoid
the risk of increasing unduly the death-rate among the uninoculated, in the calcula-
tions that follow. It is found then that there were during this period in Bombay 3,814
( average ) inoculated and 9,516 (purposely exaggerated ) uninoculated Khojas. Between
27th December 1897 and 20th April 1898, there were 184 deaths in the Khoja community.
Of these 6, including 2 from plague, were in those inoculated in 1896-97 and not
re-inoculated since ; 7 deaths, including 3 from plague, occurred in the 5,184 inoculated or
re-inoculated during the above period, and 171. deaths took place among the uninoculated.
Calculating from the normal average death-rate during those months among the com-
munity for some years previous, it appears that one should expect 102 deaths from natural
causes, but as 184 deaths were actually recorded, it may fairly bo assumed that the 82 extra
deaths were duo to plague. Of these 82 plague deaths, 3 occurred in those inoculated
between 27th December 1897 and 20th April 1898, 2 in those inoculated during the previous
epidemic, and 77 among the uninoculated. These details wore carefully ascertained by a