11
Trombay Village.—
Population l,714.
28. Trombay (Sálsette).—This village is one of the southern parts of
Sálsette in daily communication with Bombay and
could not expect to escape wholly. The first case on
January 26th was a Post Office clerk from Bombay, and
three other imported cases occurred between February 8th and 18th. The first local
case on February 27th was in the family of a Gustoms clerk, who lived in the same
chawl with case No. 1 above. The clerk himself died on March 8th, and subse-
quently dead rats were found in the chawl. Dr. Anderson reports that up till
then no rats had died in the village, so this is a case of men bringing the disease
first and infecting the rats. The percentage of local cases on the population, of
the village was 1·1.
Chembur Village.—
Population 2,023.
29. Chembur (Sálsette) is a village near Kurla and supplies many hands to
the Kurla mills. However, the first case, on Janu-
ary 27th, came from Bándra, and the second, two days
later, from. Bombay. The next three cases on January
31st and February 2nd, though of local residents, were all apparently infected in
Parel, where they went to work daily. From February 2nd the infection spread
among the inhabitants themselves. The percentage of local cases on population
was 1.7.
Málád Village,—
Populationl,836.
30. Málád (Sálsette).—This is a station on the B. B. & C. I., and like most
other places on that line in the táluka was resorted to
by many fugitives from Bombay. The first case, on
January 27th. came from Bombay: the second, on
January 29th, was a Bombay refugee, but it is not known whether he had been in
Bombay shortly before the attack. The third case on February 21st came from
Bombay : the fourth on February 23rd was a person who went daily to Bombay,
and the fifth, sixth and seventh cases, the last on March 16th, were also cases of
Bombay people. The first local case on March 18th occurred in the neighbour-
hood of imported cases. Dead rats were not noticed in this village till after the
first local case. The percentage of local cases on population was 1*9.
31. Pahádi (Sálsette) next to Málád, and Watar (Bassein) near Agáshi
show each two imported and one local case and require no special remark except
that the first imported cases came to each place from Bombay.
Máhim Municipality.—
Population 6,960.
Kelwa Municipality.—
Population 4,362.
32. Máhim.—This town lies on the coast about 6 miles from the Rail-
way, and comprises within its municipal limits the
neighbouring village of Kelwa, from which it is divi-
ded by a small creek. Máhim is interesting and also
extremely important as illustrating the escape of a town from plague chiefly
on account of its natural unhealthiness. Its reputation for fever makes it one
of the most unpopular stations in the district, and on this account it was avoided
by fugitives from Bombay, who flocked in preference to Bassein, Chinchni and
other places. Only two cases occurred in the town, both imported, the one on
January 29th from Bombay and the other on February 7th from Vesáve. But lest
any theorist should argue that there was something in the air or soil of the town
incompatible with the generation of plague-germs, the
village of Kelwa, on the opposite side of the creek
to which many refugees came, had 49 cases. The first
case there,on February 12th, was brought from Chinchni, the second on the same
day from Bombay. The third and fourth cases in one house on February 22nd
are interesting. Several Shimpis (or tailors) from. Bombay had come and stayed
three days in the house of two local Shimpis and then went away, apparently in
good health. But after the arrival of these men rats died, and five days after
their departure their hosts fell sick. The visitors evidently infected the rats
either through their clothes, or because they themselves had slight plague ; and
the rats infected the hosts. A similar case occurred a few days later in a
Kunbi family. Four or five Bombay people came and stayed one night at a
Kunbi's house and left apparently in good health ; but four days after, on
February 27th, a girl in the house developed plague. In March local cases be-
came common. The percentage of such cases on population was 1.1, The
safety of Máhim during the epidemic at Kelwa was secured by prohibition of
any intercourse between the two places. It is a most fortunate circumstance,
as helping to baffle unscientific theories of spontaneous generation, that the
most malarious town in the district, although well in the way of con-