18
a report by Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel Weir, the Executive Health
Officer, as follows :
{t The matter is so important that I cannot give a reply or comment on the reports
until I have had time for fuller consideration and also further experience in dealing with
the disease. I may mention that cases have occurred within the last few days in totally
diffei*ent localities to the districts hitherto affected, namely, in. Coliwada amongst the fisher-
men at the extreme north-west of the island, and it will be most interesting· to observe
whether the measures taken in the crowded portions of the city will be successful in these
thinly populated and isolated districts/'
It should be noted that Dr. Oleghorn had been deputed to Bombay, and that
the memorial referred to in paragraph 15 below, drawn up under his direc-
tions, was signed by Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel \Yeir.
6. In reply the Municipal Commissioner was informed that Government
awaited his further report on the recommendations of the Committee.
7. On January 20th the Municipal Commissioner, to whom the services of
Surgeon-Captain Jennings, I.M.S., had been lent in December for plague duty,
asked for the services of Surgeon-Major Kirtikar, Civil Surgeon of Thana, to take
charge under Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel "Weir of house-to-house visita-
tion in the city, and also requested that a staff of native medical practitioners, to
work under Dr. Kirtikar, might be supplied. He suggested also that an experi-
enced medical man should be deputed by Government to watch the measures being
taken by the Municipality, and in particular to supervise the measures for
preventing persons suffering from plague from leaving Bombay.
8. Accordingly on the same day telegrams were sent to all the administra-
tions in India, including Assam and Burma, to ask what medical men of all ranks
they could spare. Their replies showed the difficulties of the situation. The
Government of Bengal had no medical men to lend owing to famine works and
the precautions against plague. The North-West Provinces had none on account
of famine. Assam had none, as all their reserve was employed on cholera work
among the cooly immigrants. The Central Provinces had none owing to famine.
Burma had none available. Madras offered two Commissioned Officers, but had
no subordinates to spare on account of famine and cholera. The Punjab also
had none.
9. Also, on the 20th January, telegrams were sent to all Collectors sug-
gesting that they should try to find pensioned medical subordinates to put in
charge of dispensaries so as to release some Assistant Surgeons and Hospital
Assistants for plague and famine work.
10. A proposal of the Surgeon-General on December lltli to employ ten
temporary Hospital Assistants in addition to the twenty previously sanctioned,
had been sanctioned by Government ; but on the 26th January he reported that
he had up to that date only been able to procure nineteen men. Afc that moment
he had requisitions for eleven Hospital Assistants for plague duty and three
for famine duty, with none of which was he able to comply.
11. On January 24th the services of four Military Assistant Surgeons and
eight Hospital Assistants were at the request of the Government of India placed
at the disposal of the Surgeon-General. These were without delay deputed for
service under the Municipal Commissioner. Towards the end of January the
Government of India agreed to lend this Government 16 Medical Commissioned
Officers and 21 Military Medical Subordinates, and these were subsequently made
use of as they arrived.
12. The request of the Municipal Commissioner for the services of Surgeon-
Major Kirtikar was promptly complied with, though this involved depriving the
Thàna District, where the spread of plague was causing anxiety, of its only Com-
missioned Medical Officer. Also the request of the Municipal Commissioner that
an experienced Medical Officer should be appointed to watch, on behalf of Govern-
ment, the plague measures which were being taken in the city, was met by the
immediate deputation to Bombay of Surgeon-Major A. ~W. Street, I.M.S.,D.S.O.,
Deputy Sanitary Commissioner, though this officer was needed, in Poona, to advise
regarding the sanitary steps contemplated for the suppression of the plague.
Surgeon-Major Street arrived in Bombay on January 22nd. His instructions