10
supremely inefficient Municipality. The inference is that a great many local
cases arising out of those of the strangers have escaped notice, and the links in
the sequence of cause and effect thus lost. The percentage of local cases on
population in Bassein was 4.1. The towns of Bhiwndi and Bassein, both at
a distance of many miles from the Railway, were capable of easy protection
from the plague as compared with Kalyán and Thána ; and there is probably
nothing in the sanitary or domestic conditions of the two latter to render them
appreciably less favourable to the development of the pestilence. The differ-
ence in results is due no doubt wholly to the difference in administration.
Thána and Kalyán had the immense advantage of resident officials at the head
of the municipal organisation, while Bhiwndi and Bassein were under the control
of non-official Vice-Presidents ; in other words, the administration was wholly
in the hands of idle and incompetent Secretaries. Both these towns have to
thank the liberality of local self-government for the deaths of hundreds of
persons who might otherwise have been saved.
Agáshi Village.·—
Population 7,538.
23. Agashi (Bassein).—This is a small market town in the north of
-Bassein táluka and received infection from Bombay
simultaneously with the head-quarter town. A Sonar
came from Bombay with the plague on December 24th.
On January 8th, a Lohár brought a second dose of the disease, and on January
16th, a third case of importation from Bombay was recorded. The first local case
occurred on January 25th, in a house where Bombay people were residing. None
of these are known to have had the plague ; but rats had died in the house short-
ly before the case occurred. It may be observed in this connection that, apart
from the question of infected clothes or other articles being brought from
Bombay, slight attacks of plague from which the patient soon recovered would
probably pass unnoticed. The fifth reported case occurred on February 2nd, in
a house adjoining that of the fourth case, and shortly afterwards cases became
common. It should be remarked that Agáshi consists of about 12 hamlets
situated at various distances round a central bazaar. The plague was confined
to the bazaar and the dwellings in its immediate neighbourhood. The residents
of the outlying hamlets protected themselves by excluding outsiders and escaped
entirely. The Agáshi bazaar had probably too few rats to send the disease far.
The percentage of local cases on the population of Agáshi was 1.9; but this is
taken on the whole population of the hamlets. The incidence on the actually
affected area must have been 3 or 4 times as great.
24. Mulegaon (Bassein).—This is practically a quarter of Bassein town,
and was infected from the neighbouring quarters. The first imported case was
a Christian woman from Bassein. Khochivre is a hamlet of this village.
Sopara Village.—
Population 1,605.
25. Sopára.—This, is the market town for the centre of the Basseín táluka.
The first four recorded cases between January 3rd and
February 6th all came from Bombay : the fifth on
March 3rd was imported from Bhiwndi, the sixth on
the same day from Bassein, and the seventh and eighth a few days later from
Bhiwndi. There was thus ample explanation of the first really local case which
occurred on March 8th, and was soon followed by others, although, as Doctor
Anderson observes, there is no known connection between the imported and first
local cases, and no rats are known to have died. Here, as at Agáshi, the epidemic
was almost confined to the central village, though on February 27th it spread
into Umbrale, which immediately adjoins it. The houses in Umbrale, however, are
more detached than those of Sopara and the plague did little damage there.
26. Khochivre (Bassein).— This hamlet of Mulgaon got its first infection
from Bombay early in January in the person of three Kámátis. The Bhandáris,
with whom these Kámátis lived, next got the infection, and then other Bhandáris ;
and in the middle of March the plague spread into the Koli quarter of thé
village. Vadavli and Kiravli (Nos. 37 and 42 of the list in paragraph 11) were
both infected by immigrants from Khochivre.
27. Wágholi and Bolinj, both villages of the Bassein táluka, received each
only one imported case, fugitives, respectively, from Bhiwndi and Bándra.