2
I mention this epidemic of fever because it has been suggested that it might
have been plague, but I think this idea is fallacious ; for though it was un-
doubtedly an unusual and very virulent type of fever, the death rate was small
in proportion to the usual death-rate from plague. Out of about 100,000 per-
sons attacked, 12,344 died, whereas in plague the mortality would have been
at least 60 per cent. There is no reason to suppose, therefore, that it was plague.
An account of this epidemic of fever will be found in this office letter No. 74,
dated 6th June 1879, with enclosures.
Did the plague take its
rise in Cutch first ?
I have also heard it said that the present plague was introduced into Bom-
bay from Cutch, possibly because it broke ont in the
Mándvi quarter of Bombay ; but this is inhabited by
many others besides Gutchees, and is a shipping quar-
ter of the town, and I have no reason to suppose that this was the case. The
plague in Bombay must have begun about the end of June or beginning of July.
The steamers did not begin to run till the middle of September, and it was not
till the end of September or beginning of October that anything was heard of
plague in Cutch. The first caso is reported to have been landed from Bombay
on the 3rd October 1896, when the exodus of Cutchees in Bombay to their own
country really began. A reference to the map and return marked A will show
that out of 48 villages in which plague cases, either imported or indigenous, have
occurred, 19 are within easy distance of Mándvi and the coast. Mándvi, the
port which has suffered most, is in direct and constant communication
by steamers with Bombay and Karachi. From Mándvi most of the other
places mentioned in return A have become infected. Again, the only case
which occurred at Lakhput, on the borders of Sind, was of a man who had
lately come from Karachi, and in the same way Koteshwar and Naransa-
rowar were infected. Lastly, if the plague in Bombay commenced about the
end of June or beginning of July, and was introduced from Cutch, it is
reasonable to suppose that it would have been recognised in Outch long
before it was, and that there would have been indigenous cases earlier. I
am aware that there being no proper registration of deaths, and such a disease
not being looked for, it might go on for a long time without being discovered ;
but I think that had. it started in Outch before Bombay, it would have got such
a thorough hold on some place sooner than it did, that the authorities could not
have failed to recognise it ; especially as being unexpected, no precautions would
have been taken against it. The first place to suffer from indigenous cases to
any extent was Ráwápur in the month of February, and it has been proved that
this place was infected from Karachi, the man, a Durzi, having come from
Karachi and infected 11 of his relatives living in the same or adjoining houses,
of whom, all died. The theory, therefore, that the plague was introduced into
Bombay from. Cutch will not hold good.
It was not till October that I heard of cases being landed at Mándvi, and
I then wrote to the Diván asking for a weekly return of cases. The first return
of cases sent to me was for the period 17th September to 19th October, and
showed that there had been 9 imported cases and 3 deaths during that period,
but no indigenous. A subsequent return gave the date of the first imported case
landed as the 3rd October 1896, and between that date and 28th February there
had been 47 imported cases and 25 deaths, but according to the Darbár return
there was no indigenous case till the 4th January 1897, when one case occurred
at Mándvi and another case and one death up to 28th February.
Preventive measures.
As soon as I found that cases infected with -plague were being landed at
Mándvi from Bombay, I spoke to the Diván and
His Highness the Ráo in the matter, and the report
of the Darbár shows that the tollo win g preventive measures were ordered :—
(1) Inspection of passengers arriving at Mándvi, Khári Eohar,
Mundra, Jakhau and other ports.
(2) Segregation and treatment in separate sheds provided for the
purpose of all those found infected.
(3) At Mádhápur, two miles from Bhúj, and the first customs chauki
on the Mándvi road about one mile from Bhúj, arrangements were made
for a further examination of persons corning into Bhúj from Khári Kohar
and Mándvi. Any persons found suffering from fever were kept under
observation outside the town.