Surat DISTRICT.]
177
The disease had apparently died out in April 1897, and from the beginning of May
to the beginning of July, no case had been reported. On the 4th July 1897 a case occurred in
the Nanpura Macchhiwad. The most careful inquiry failed to elicit any evidence as to its
origin, and it must remain doubtful whether it was due to undiscovered cases, a recrudescence,
or a fresh importation of the disease. A few sporadic cases occurred in July and August ;
but it was not until the end of August that a serious increase, affecting the total mortality,
took place, as will be seen from the table below :—
Month.
June
1897
July
August
„
September „
October
,,
...
...
...
Population
(Census of
1891).
}
109,229
Cases.
...
3
32
125
380
Deaths.
2
12
83
223
Total mortality.
256
298
457
675
1,391
Average
mentality
for previous
3 years.
290
357
272
220
200
The week ending 22nd October 1897 showed a total mortality of 405, (or about 200 per
mille, per annum), the highest on record for the City.
Up to that time the Civil Surgeon, Lieut.-Colonel K. S. Nariman, I. M. S., had been
conducting house-to-house inspection ; but the Municipal Commissioners were now divided in-
to search parties to assist him, each being accompanied by a medical man. At the same time,
about the 20th August 1897, the following measures were adopted : disinfection, under the
superintendence of the District Superintendent of Police and the Inspector, City Police, was
carried out by gangs of firemen and coolies : Hospitals, both public and private, general and
caste, were opened, the Civil Surgeon superintending.
Evacuation, a measure which had in the previous epidemic proved so useful, and which
was greatly relied on by the Collector, was almost impracticable. " The fact is," he reports.
" the monsoon prevented my carrying out the measure I have found distinctly the most
effective—the general evacuation of infected localities."
The spread of infection by rail was lessened by a pass system introduced on the 20th
October 1897, which was worked by a Committee of 12 leading Native gentlemen, supervised
by the Collector himself. Observation camps were appointed for persons unable to fulfil the
conditions required by the passes.
On the 18th October 1897, His Excellency the Governor paid a visit to Surat, and held
a public meeting in the Municipal Hall, at which he exhorted the people to assist the officials
in combating the scourge. In spite of all efforts to prevent it, concealment was largely prac-
tised: "Patients are being moved from house to house and street to street," writes the
Collector despondently, " carrying the plague germs with them. " But in his opinion the
objections to search parties outweigh the advantages, and he condemns them accordingly.
"In my opinion, search parties do more harm than good, both because of the above-mentioned
consideration (the removal of patients from house to house for concealment's sake) and
because of the unreasoning terror with which they are viewed by the people."
On the 15th of October 1897, disinfection was handed over to Captain (now Major) T. E.
Dyson, I. M. S., who greatly extended operations. Four native gentlemen were appointed to go
round the City recording complaints against disinfecting gangs. Complaints, happily, were few,
and in general easily redressed. Towards the end of October, at the close of the monsoon, three
45