NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
DHARWAr DISTRICT.]
291
end of November but few cases occurred: 28 cases (14 fatal) in all. Inoculation was intro-
duced from the very first, and on the 25th November 1898 the figures were was follows:
once-inoculated—3,242; twice-inoculated—1,720; total inoculated—4,962, or about one-
fifth of the inhabitants.
The following statement shows the progress of inoculation and of plague, week by
week, in Gadag Town:—
Week ending
9th December 1898
16th
23rd
30th
6th January 1899
13th
20th " "
27th
3rd February "
10th " "
17th
24th " "
3rd March
10th
17th " "
24th " "
31st " "
Total
number of
inoculated
once and
twice.
5,715
7,821
8,794
10,382
10,341
11,117
11,359
11,612
12,048
11,923
11,703
11,525
11,907
12,361
12,871
13,754
14,036
14,036
Total
number
uninoculated.
17,659
13,835
11,772
8,726
6,145
3,381
2,635
1,766
1,135
907
723
732
713
719
696
712
688
Varying.
TOTAL.
Cases.
40
32
31
42
36
53
26
34
34
19
30
12
25
4
13
3
1
435
Deaths.
25
17
20
22
25
41
27
19
20
7
14
7
10
6
7
4
271
AMONG THE
INOCULATED.
Cases.
3
4
4
12
16
14
14
13
18
23
22
19
7
8
2
3
182
Deaths.
2
1
3
7
6
7
7
6
6
8
8
7
4
3
2
77
GADAG
Population 23,889.
292
[CHAP. IX.
With a few dropping cases in April, the epidemic in Gadag died out ; from the begin-
ning of May the town was free from plague. Throughout May and June 1899 this freedom
continued, but in July the town was again attacked and suffered from an epidemic which
lies outside the scope of the present review, The same is true of Hubli and Dhárwár Town
and of the District.
Dhárwár District.
As has been already shown in paragraph 15 (ii.) the spread of plague in Dhárwár Dis-
trict was rapid. Over 320 places in all were ultimately affected ;
it is, therefore, impossible to do more than review the
progress of plague as a whole. The early months of the epidemic in the district were August,
September, and October, the rainy months, and evacuation and cognate measures were
practically impossible. To this fact may perhaps be attributed the very wide dissemination
of the disease and the severity with which individual villages suffered.
It is possible, however, to divide the epidemic roughly into three periods, first, the
period of rain, during which it was impossible to do much; second, a brief period after the
cessation of the rains, during which evacuation and cognate measures were being ener-
getically enforced ; thirdly, the subsequent period which would show the result of the
measures taken during the second period.
First period (5th August—11th November 1898).—During this period the rains were
60 heavy and continuous that, as has been said, little or nothing could be done; and the fol-
lowing statement shows the weekly numbers of cases and deaths, the total number of placea
infected during each week, the number of places newly infected weekly, and the total num-
ber of places infected during this period :—
Week ending
5th August
12th
„
19th
„
26th ,,
2nd September
9th
„
16th ,,
23rd ,,
30th
„
7th October
14th ,,
21st ,,
28th
„
4th November
11th
„
1898
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
·· ·
...
Total
...
...
...
...
..
...
...
Total in District.
Indigenous,
Cases.*
191
400
809
879
765
1,038
1,642
1,083
2,074
1,671
1,539
2,368
2,286
2,128
2,924
21,797
Deaths.*
162
316
G71
657
589
885
1,300
916
1,683
1,424
1,237
1,914
1,387
1,558
2,358
17,057
Total number
of places
which reported
indigenous
plague during
the week.†
2
5
13
16
25
35
39
46
53
66
76
78
84
91
94
...
Number of
places newly
infected during
the week.
1
4
5
10
2
7
4
10
5
10
20
8
11
5
12
...
Total number
of places which
had indi-
genous plague
during period
stated.
X
>
)
...
* The figures are taken from the daily reports,
† This column does not show the total number of places infected during the week, as many places which were
infected did not return any cases or deaths during certain weeks, and are, therefore, not included in the figures
in this column.
293
DHARWAR DISTKICT.
Second period (12th November—2nd December 1898).—The following statement gives
the same information for this second period :—
Week ending
18th November
1898
...
25th
„
„
2nd December
,,
Total ...
Total in
ladig
Cases.*
2,194
2,344
1,846
6,384
District.
enous.
Deaths.*
1,857
1,870
1,562
5,295
Total number
of places
which reported
indigenous
plague during
the week.†
94
97
100
Number oí
places newly
infected durirg
the week.
12
5
Total number
of places which
had indi-
genous plague
during period
stated.
133
Third period (3rd December 1898—3rd March 1899).—During this period evacuation,
segregation of contacts, disinfection of vacated houses, and similar measures were in full
swing. A decrease in the mortality and in the duration of epidemics in infected places
might be expected, and indeed this was the case. The information for the third period is
given in the following statement :—
Week ending
9th December 1898
16th ,,
23rd ,,
30th ,,
6th January 1899
13th ,,
20th ,,
27th ,, ,,
3rd February
,,
10th ,,
17th ,,
24th ,,
3rd March
,,
10th
„ ,,
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Total
...
...
...
...
...
...
Total in District.
Indigenous.
Cases.*
1,412
1,200
1,241
1,080
806
792
495
285
195
360
344
292
118
104
8,734
Deaths.*
1,143
1,035
1,061
860
682
641
467
238
139
255
253
235
87
89
7,185
Total number
of places
which reported
indigenous
plague during
the week.†
92
98
111
107
94
94
84
81
66
59
54
46
37
44
...
Number of
places newly
infected during
the week.
13
13
13
26
12
12
9
7
5
10
9
7
4
3
...
Total number
of places which
had indi-
genous plague
during period
stated.
Altogether in the Dhárwár District over 320 places were attacked by plague; some of
these suffered with exceptional severity, in some cases as much as one-third of the population
* The figures are laben from the"daily reports.
† This column does not show the total number of places infected during the week, as many places which were
infcoted did not return any cases or deaths during certain weeks, and are, therefore, not included in the figures in
this column.
74
294
[CHAP. IX.
being destroyed by the disease. The following statement gives the duration and incidence of
plague in those places which suffered most severely :—
Place.
Shelwadi ...
Byahatti ...
Ingalhalli
...
Malapur ...
Ibrampur ...
Bhandivad ...
Datanhal ...
Umashigi ...
Total ...
Population.
4,222
3,589
2,203
1,816
1,692
1,306
1,280
1,162
17,270
Duration of Epidemic.
From
Oct. 1898 ...
Sept. ,, ...
Aug. ,, ...
Oct. ,, ...
,, ,, ...
Aug.
Oct.
Aug.
...
...
To
Dec. 1898
Nov. ,,
Dec. ,,
,, ,,
Oct. ,,
Nov. ,,
Oct. ,,
....
...
...
...
...
...
Total.
Cases.
1,376
1,097
1,048
664
869
501
554
332
441
Deaths.
1,154
782
807
545
610
482
432
328
5,140
Percentage
mortality
on
population.
27•33
21• 78
36•63
30•01
36• 05
36• 90
33• 75
28• 22
29• 76
Besides these places, many other small villages suffered even more severely,
DHARWAR DISTICT
Chart showing Plague Mortality
295
ΚΑΝARA DISTRICT.
Area
...
...
...
Population in 1891 ...
Density of population
Rainfall
...
...
...
3,944 sq. miles.
446,351.
11317 per sq. mile.
About 100 inches.
Kánara, the southernmost part of the Bombay Presidency, is a belt of country about 110
Boundaries.
miles from north to south, and from 10 to 60 miles from east to
west, It is bounded as follows :—On the north, by Bidi in Belgaum ;
on the east, by the Dhárwár, Kalghatgi, Bankápur, and Hángal sub-divisions of Dhárwár,
and by Maisur (Mysore); on the south-east, by Maisur ; on the south, by Maisur and South
Kánara; on the west, by the Arabian Sea and Goa; and on the north-west, by Goa.
Compared with the neighbouring Districts of Belgaum and Dhárwár, Kánara is
Climate and natural features.
unhealthy. In spite of an average rainfall of over 100 inches,
the coast sub-divisions are more healthy than the forest-covered
uplands. Of the feverish inland tracts, the valleys of the Kálinadi and its tributaries are
perhaps the most unhealthy. Throughout the District, especially above the Sahyadris, the
two most unhealthy seasons of the year are the two first rainy months, June and July, and
the four cool months, November to February.
There are four chief rivers, the Kálinadi in the north, the Bedti or Gangávali about
20 miles south, the Donihalla or Tadri, and the Bálanadi or Gersappa river about 15 miles
south of the Tadri. The Gersappa river contains the famous Gersappa falls, 890 feet high,
forming a most picturesque water-fall, among the highest in the world. Neither in Upland
nor in Lowland Kánara are there large lakes or reservoirs. In the forests the water is so
laden with vegetable matter that even running streams are dangerous to drink. At the
upper ends of the valleys a red alluvial soil called kagdali, with shining particles of mica, is
often found ; and near the mouth of the valles is a still richer soil called bailu. In the
western belt the lowlands are under tillage, and most of the forests are found on the spurs
that run west from the Sahyadris, in some cases bo the sea. The soil is red and gravelly,
ill suited for teak, which, when found, is stunted and insignificant.
There is no authentic record of plague in this District previous to 1896. In 1860, how-
Previous epidemics.
ever, Kánara suffered severely from an outbreak of fever
which lasted for 8 years. The fever was sometimes remittent,
but mostly intermittent, of the usual daily, third-day, and fourth-day types.*
Kánara District.
Population—446,351.
The Kánara District has escaped more lightly than any other District attacked by
plague ; the Ahmedabad District, perhaps, excepted. Up to
October 1897 it was, indeed, scarcely menaced ; and although
Belgaum and Dhárwár, which bound it on the east, were infected
in that month, it was not till a full year later that plague established itself in Kánara. Une
Bombay Gazetteer, Vol. XV.
298
[CHAP. IX.
Month.
September 1898
October
November
December
January 1899
February
M arch
April
May
...
...
...
...
Total
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
KANAKA DISTRICT (including Haliyal Town).
Population— 446,351.
INDIGENOUS.
Cases,
3
11
4
28
41
48
52
6
1
194
Deaths.
3
8
3
]8
29
37
42
2
1
143
IMPORTANCE
Cases.
2
5
3
4
...
5
...
...
...
19
Death«.
2
3
2
4
...
4
··· ...
...
15
HALIYAL TOWN.
Population— 6,180.
Cases.
...
...
...
23
15
6
1
45
Deaths,
...
...
.
20
13
2
1
36
The chief Town of the District, Kárwár, enjoys the almost unique reputation of not
having yet had a single case of plague, either imported or indigenous ; close and
constant vigilance being there maintained.
Kánara District.
Since May 1899 the Kánara District has been visited by a slight epidemic. After two
weeks of entire freedom in the beginning of June, plague
returns lumped to epidemic proportion and continued thus
from the 16th June to the 11th August. Cases, 244—Deaths, 167. For four weeks there-
after there was a welcome lull, but on the 15th September plague re-appeared (10 cases—
9 deaths), and continued in the District till the end of October, when a marked decrease was
visible. The numbers of cases and deaths from May 1899 to the end of October 1899 for
the whole District being—
379 Cases—298 Deaths.
300
[CHAP. IX.
severe epidemic ; notably the Theronda hamlets, where the pestilence swept away nearly
one-third of the population.
While this increase of plague could not but cause the gravest anxiety, the scanty means
at the Collector's disposal to combat the epidemic, and the apathy and helplessness of the
panic-stricken people, rendered the District an object of yet more concern. Towards the
end of April, therefore, Government directed the Collector, Mr. E. Gray, I. C. S., to put
himself in communication with the Bombay Plague Committee. The members of the
Committee visited several parts of the Kolába District; and the vigorous measures, which,
by their advice, and by the help of their powerful organization, were immediately put in
force under the direct supervision of Major Collins, R. A. M. C., succeeded in speedily
reducing the epidemic.
The disease, which had thus far steadily grown worse, reached its zenith in the first
week of May 1897, and then gradually declined, until, in the last week of July 1897, the
village of Chanje in the Uran Mahal was the only place in the District that still reported
indigenous plague. This may be termed the end of the first epidemic in the Kolába District,
which, as a whole, has scarcely ever been quite free from plague since it was first attacked.
The following numbers of cases and deaths had been reported in the District and in the
Janjira State between February and July 1897 :—
Alibág Town ... ... ... ...
Panvel Town ... ... ... ...
Rest of the District
Total ...
Janjira State ... ...
Cases.
262
179
801
1,242
289
Deaths.
239
156
707
1,102
181
Second Epidemic (August 1897—December 1897).—The month of August 1897 marked
the beginning of another epidemic—the second—which happily was not as severe as either
that which preceded, or that which followed, it: and, except for a continued though not
severe outbreak at Panvel, which was its principal feature, this epidemic formed a sort
of connecting link between the two others.
Panvel Town.
Population—10,417,
The last case of plague at Panvel had been registered in the second week of June 1897
from which date to the end of August the returns for the
town were blank. Then, however, plague suddenly declared
itself and threatened to burst into an epidemic. There is no
clear history of either a recrudescence or re-infection ; but probably the disease was
lurking in the Town and had passed unnoticed. The mortality in August is reported
to have been high, and this fact, coupled with the detection of a number of genuine
plague cases during the last few days of the month, tends to confirm the suspicion. Be
that as it may, plague was recognized in the week ending 3rd September 1897, and 10 cases
reported. Mr. Brooke, I. C. S., Assistant Collector, and Dr. Sprague were at once sent
there, and instituted house-to-house inspection and disinfection. The services of Assistant
Surgeon P. W. Shikare and of Inspector Jenner, who had done very good work during the
first epidemic, were again spared by the Bombay Plague Committee, who themselves
inspected the arrangements at Panvel on the 12th September. During the week ending
302
[CHAP. IX.
But all efforts to confine the disease to the few places on which it already had a hold,
and to eradicate it from them, proved unavailing ; nor were the attempts made to prevent
the importation of fresh infection more successful. In the first week of January 1898, three
places returned 9 indigenous and 2 imported cases; next week, the indigenous cases
increased to 17. Yet a further rise was noticed in the third week; and in the last week of the
month there were 36 cases—two of them imported—and no less than 8 places infected.
The places chiefly infected in January and February 1898 were Revdanda, Cheul,
Nagaon, Kondri and Khálápur; while Panvel was still struggling with a prolonged epidemic
the force of which, however, had by this time been broken. In March, Akshi and Alibág
were added to the list, besides a number of other places, which, though not badily infected at
any time, yet helped materially to swell the number of cases.
Revdanda.
Population—5,900.
Revdanda (including the Theronda hamlets) had been free for about six weeks, when
plague broke out afresh with six fatal cases in the week ending
]7th December 1897. The orgin of the outbreak here, as in
most other places in the District, lies buried in obscurity. For
the next two weeks there was a lull, but thereafter a revival took place, and the disease
continued with unabated force until the end of March 1898, having been at its worst in
February. From April 1898 it gradually declined, and after five cases more had been
recorded in May, subsided with a final case in the first week of June. The following is the
monthly number of cases and deaths :—
Month.
December 1897 - 3 weeks
January 1808—4 ,,
February ,, — 4 ,,
March
,,
— 4
,,
...
April , , — 5 ,,
May
,,
— 4 ,,
June
,,
— 1 week
Total ...
Cases.
9
29
37
42
13
5
1
136
Deaths.
9
20
31
40
•
12
5
1
88
Cheul and Agrao.
Population—5,745.
After having enjoyed a three months' respite, the Cheul and Agrao group of hamlets
contiguous to Revdanda, came in for a bad epidemic in
February 1898, beginning with one fatal case in the week
ending 21st January 1898. This was succeeded by seven
cases in the following week : and fifteen in the week subsequent to that. There is little to
record of the outbreak here; which continued in a more or less intense degree up to the end
of March 1898—as in the case of Revdanda—and then slowly declined until it disappeared
at the end of May 1898. The monthly number of cases and deaths is as follows:—
Month.
January 1898—2 weeks
February ,, — 4 ,,
...
March
„ . — 4 „
April
„ —5 „
May
,, — 1 week
Total ...
Cases,
8
41
34
17
6
106
Deaths.
4
34
28
17
5
118
304
[CHAP. IX.
mortality. But the strenuous efforts of the successive Collectors and their subordinates,
aided at last by the people themselves, and marked by prompter and more complete
evacuation, by greater influence, and by measures wider in their application and more
effective in their operation, were at length rewarded. From the 10th of June 1898, the entire
District was practically free from plague. It is significant that just about this time during
the previous year there was a subsidence of plague, though not a complete cessation, The
following statement gives the monthly figures for the whole District for this epidemic :—
Month.
January 1898—4 weeks ...
February „ —4 „ ...
March
,, —4 „
April
„ —5 „ ...
...
May
„ —4 „
...
June
,, —2 „
Total
Cases.
90
152
240
108
32
4
626
Deaths,
60
121
201
107
28
4
521
Fourth Epidemic (September 1898—May 1899).—But this welcome immunity was destin-
ed to be of short duration : for, in September, plague re-appeared in the villages of Thal and
Cheul in the Alibág Táluka. Its origin was importation from Bombay. Rats were affected
before human beings at Cheul, and the inmates of the houses where dead rats were found left
them of their own accord, and the disease did not develop into an epidemic. At Thal, how-
ever, the infection appears to have bin dormant for some time, springing up again into
activity towards the end of November 1898.
Panvel.
Population—10,417.
After an interval of six months, the ill-fated town of Panvel was again attacked (Nov-
ember 1898). As usual, the source of infection eluded dis-
covery, and for the space of a month there were only three
sporadic cases. From the middle of November cases occurred
regularly every week, though they still continued to be sporadic, and evacuation was very
gradual, as only " the parts where the cases have been more than sporadic" were evacuated.
But this piecemeal evacuation had little effect in stopping the spread of the disease, though
it succeeded in preventing the rapid multiplying of attacks. In January 1899 the whole
town, except a part of the southern portion, was infected, and Koliváda and Parit Lane, the
most insanitary parts of the town, were then completely evacuated. In other quarters the
affected houses and adjoining ones only were cleared.
But among the peeple that were in camp, clandestine visits to infected houses were nob
infrequent, and a largo proportion of the attacks was contributed by them. To obviate this,
the Police staff was strengthened, and greater control exercised over the evicts. " On the
occurrence of cases in the fields," the Collector writes, " a second removal of contacts is
being insisted on and the infected hut is either disinfected or burnt." The southern portion
of the town comprising the Máhar Wada was attacked in the week ending 20th January 1899,
KOLABA DISTRICT.]
305
and the people of the Máhár and Chámbhár Wádas were promptly turned out en masse. The
following week the greater part of the remaining population had left the town, which was
now nearly empty, and the results were very satisfactory, as will be seen from the following
figures:—
PANVEL TOWN (population, 10,417).
Week ending
22nd December 1898
9th " "
16th " "
23rd " "
30th " "
6th January
1899
13th " "
20th " "
27th " "
3rd February "
10th " "
Total
Cases.
3
12
14
13
21
16
17
19
23
14
8
160
Deaths.
2
9
15
13
15
18
16
21
14
11
7
141
PANVEL TOWN
Population 10,417.
Twenty-six cases (24 fatal) were reported between the 10th February and 24th March
1899, and Panvel became once more free.
In December 1898, Thal and Naválgaon were the places that were principally affected
besides Panvel. These were wholly evacuated before the disease attained anything like
epidemic proportions. The suppressive measures adopted generally throughout the District
may thus be summed up in the Collector's own words:—"The campaign against plague this
year was carried out on lines similar to those of the last year. Its main features were as
follows:—
(a) a thorough system of house-to-house inspection;
(b) compulsory isolation of the sick in hospitals and the segregation of the
healthy;
(c) evacuation of the affected locality; and
(d) disinfection of houses."
Wholesale evacuation of villages was resorted to in several instances with excellent results.
Alibág.
Population—5,888.
Once again was Alibág infected in the latter part of December 1898: but the warning
afforded by the familiar appearance of dead rats did not pass
unheeded: with the result that though an outbreak was not
averted, it was so well managed that it can hardly be described
as an epidemic. This is sufficiently clear from the following figures:—
Month.
December
January
February
March
1898
1899
"
"
Total
Cases.
2
11
23
13
49
Deaths.
2
7
18
13
40
77
306
[CHAP. IX. KOLABA DIST.]
The otter places in the District that were badly infected during the fourth epidemic were
the villages of Vindhane and Taloja and Cheul and Revdanda, particularly the two latter,
which during the months of February, March and April 1899, were visited by an epide-
mic of unusual severity, heightened or perhaps chiefly caused by the obstr uction offered by
the more influential classes to plague measures of any kind. The effects of these latter were,
moreover, often nullified by untimely rain, and by the stealthy visits to infected parts by
people who had vacated them. At one time the Collector was obliged to throw all his avail-
able resources on these places. In the general decline of plague in May 1899, however,
Revdanda and Cheul also participated, though they did not become free until June 1899.
No effort was spared to make inoculation popular. This measure, however, was
not introduced till February 1899, and it took some time to convince an unwilling people of
its efficacy. In the meanwhile, the epidemic showed unmistakable signs of declining, and
there was no urgent necessity for the people to undergo it.
Nevertheless, it found some
favour at Alibág itself, where 2,150 people wore inoculated up to the end of May 1899.
Nearly 1,000 more were thus protected at Pen, Revdanda and Cheul, but at Panvel
there were only 39 inoculations.
The following statement gives the number of cases and deaths for the fourth epidemic,
i.e., from September 1898 to May 1899, for the whole District :—
Month.
September 1898—3 weeks ...
October
,,
— 4 „
November ,, — 4 „
December ,, —5
January
1899—4 ,,
February ,, — 4 ,,
March
,,
—5 ,,
April
,,
—4 ,,
May
,,
—4 ,,
Total ...
Cases.
8
5
11
104
134
198
235
224
172
1,091
Deaths.
7
5
9
94
116
157
199
186
159
932
Shriwardhan.
Population—8,800.
As observed in paragraph 6, the Janjira State was affected for three weeks in October
1898, reporting 11 cases and 7 deaths. It was not equally for
tunate in 1899. In March the seaport town of Shriwardhan
was infected, and though plague ceased there in April, there was
a recrudescence in May, and it did not finally leave the town until June 1899. The outbreak
was again handled with considerable success by the State Kárbhari. The following is the
number of indigenous cases and deaths that occurred there :—
Month.
March 1899
...
April
„
May
„
Cases.
7
28
Deaths.
5
1
21
Since May there has been very slight plague in the Kolába District. The following are
the total numbers of cases and deaths from the 3rd June 1899 to the 22nd September 1899,
the District being entirely free at present (September 1899) :—
Cases.
43
Deaths.
33
KOLABA DISTRICT.
Chart showing Plague Mortality.
THAN A DISTRICT.
Chart showing Plague Mortality