NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
CHAP. VIL ]
Measures in the City of Bombay.
145
Operations carried out by the Plague Committee,
APPOINTMENT OF THE COMMITTEE.
Resolution of the
Government of
Bombay
appointing the
Committee.
By a resolution of the Government of Bombay dated the 9th
March, the following gentlemen were constituted a Committee
for the purpose of carrying out, under the orders of the Government,
the measures to be taken to suppress and prevent the spread of
plague in the City of Bombay :—
(1) Brigadier-General W. F. Gatacre ..
(2) Mr. P. C. H. Snow
(3) Surgeon-Major H. P. Dimmock
(4) Mr. C. C. James
Chairman.
Members,
Powers conferred
on the
Committee.
The resolution appointing the Committee invested them with the
full powers conferred on or vested in the Municipal Commissioner by ¡
the Municipal Act of the city, by the notification of the Municipal
Commissioner of the 6th October described in the first portion of this
chapter, and by the notification of the Government of Bombay of the
10th February, the terms of which have also been summarised above.
The Municipal Corporation, all officers and servants of the Corpora-
tion, and all public servants and persons employed by the Committee
were directed to carry into effect, without delay, any measures which
might be ordered by the Committee. In accordance with the orders
contained in the notification of the 10th February, all expenditure was
to be met, in the first instance, by the Corporation, and the Corporation
or the Commissioner were empowered to make recoveries from private
persons in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Act. The
Commissioner of Police was directed to give such assistance as might
be necessary on the requisition of the Committee. In a later notifi-
cation (dated the 23rd of March) the Committee were specially em-
powered to cause the inmates of any building in which it was believed
that a case of plague had occurred to be segregated for a period not
exceeding ten days.
Objects with
which the
Committee was
appointed.
* " In a letter addressed to the President of the Municipal Corpora-
tion (explaining the object with which the Committee had been
appointed) His Excellency the Governor of Bombay said that so
thorough had been the cleansing operations carried out by the muni-
cipal executive that the continued existence of plague in the city was
conclusive proof that it could not be stamped out by any measures of
* Extract from General Gatacre's report.
19
146
Measures in the City of Bombay.
[ CHAP. VIL
Larger and
different
measures needed.
disinfection. 'Larger and different measures' were therefore needed
to bring it under in reasonable time. The first thing to be done was
to search for and discover the cases, and provide hospitals for each
caste in convenient places, and to watch persons who were living in
the same house with a sick person. The plague had spread to many
places outside Bombay. To deal with it now the efforts put forth
required to be far-reaching and systematic, and to aim above all things
at the suppression of the epidemic before the rains. This was why
Government had decided to take the management of the epidemic
into its own hands, to systematise and direct the efforts of individuals
and bodies, and prevent dissipation of energy, etc. No slur was in-
tended on local administration or self-government ; the appointment of
the Committee was ' an Imperial necessity ' which should meet with
the support of all the citizens of Bombay."
Objects to be
attained by the
Committee.
His Excellency the Governor stated to General Gatacre, in a letter
that is reproduced in the latter's report, that the energies of the
Committee should be directed to the attainment of three main
objects—
(1) The discovery of all cases of plague.
(2) The treatment of all cases in hospitals.
(3) The gradual segregation, as far as possible, of the probably
affected—that is, of those living in the same room with,
or in close attendance on, persons suffering from
plague.
Enlistment of
the services o£
influential
native
gentlemen.
His Excellency laid special stress on the fact that in all cases of
obstinacy or misunderstanding on the part of those for whose benefit
the measures were devised, persuasion and gentleness should be used ;
that the privacy of women should be disturbed as little as possible,
and only by women ; and that the caste and religious usages of the
people should be treated with all consideration. His Excellency
further stated that every advantage should be taken of the services of
natives of influence, such as the Justices of the Peace who had offered
their services, also that the hospitals should, as far as possible, be
open to the friends and relatives of the patients, who should be
accommodated near to them, and encouraged to come and see for
themselves that the patients were well cared for.
THE OPPOSITION ENCOUNTERED AND THE MANNER IN
WHICH IT WAS OVERCOME.
Attitude of the
native
community.
The remarks made by His Excellency the Governor in his letter to
General Gatacre lead up to the subject of the opposition encountered
CHAP. VII. ]
Measures in the City of Bombay.
147
Privacy of the
home and of
women and the
caste system.
Adoption of
precautionary
measures to the
feelings of the
native
community.
from some sections of the native community in enforcing the regula-
tions necessary to combat the epidemic of plague in the City of
Bombay and elsewhere. In the first portion of this chapter some
account has been given of the strenuous opposition raised to the
segregation of the sick in hospital. In the present portion of this
chapter and in succeeding chapters it will often be necessary to
allude to similar matters and the difficulties to be overcome and
the way in which they were met will not be rightly understood
unless the attitude of the native community towards the enforce-
ment of plague precautions is borne in mind. It is the habit of
mind of Asiatic races, and especially amongst the more ignorant
of the population, to regard events such as a plague epidemic as
a visitation of fate, and as such, to submit to them with patience, but
without an effort to do what is humanly possible to mitigate the
calamity. They are also ignorant or distrustful of the methods which
Western science has pointed out as the most efficacious for the pro-
tection of the public health and the extirpation of epidemic disease.
Added to this, both Hindus and Muhammadans view with the greatest
dislike any intrusion into their homes, and especially any possible
interference with the privacy of their women. Among Hindus, again,
the caste system and its elaborate rules prevent the intimate
association, and especially the feeding in common, of the superior
and inferior castes. These habits of mind and dictates of religious
and social custom greatly increase the difficulty of enforcing the
precautions essential to check the virulence of an epidemic dis-
ease, such as plague. Both in the City of Bombay and elsewhere
the authorities who bore the responsibility of the operations kept
these matters constantly in view and the precautionary measures
were always devised so as to interfere to the least possible degree
with the feelings and the customs of the people for the protection
of whom they were devised.
Opposition of the
Sunni Muham-
madans in
Bombay.
In the case of the City of Bombay the greatest opposition was
experienced from the Sunni Muhammadans, and especially the Kon-
kani Sunnis. General Gatacre makes the following remarks with re-
gard to the attitude of these Muhammadans :—
" In the case of the Muhammadan community, and particularly
of the Konkani Sunnis, much difficulty was at first experienced in
bringing them to reason. The non-possumus attitude which they
at first adopted is well illustrated by the proceedings at a meetino-
called by Hadji Oomer Jamal on December 28th for the purpose of
persuading the community to assent to segregation. Most of the
speakers were in favour of prayer as the best way of averting the
148
Measures in the City of Bombay.
[ CHAP. VII,
disease, and when the promoters of the meeting tentatively suggested
segregation an old Muhammad an gentleman, as spokesman for cer-
tain sections of the community, said, ' he might mention that they
were totally opposed to segregation and that nothing would persuade
them to send their plague-stricken to the municipal hospital. ' A
young Muhammadan then arose and, in supporting the last speaker,
remarked : ' We will not go to hospital. Our musjid is our hospital.'
And this seemed to find favour with the meeting.— (Times of India,
December 29th.)
"As regards the hospitals themselves, any and every objection was
put forward against them. . The same Kazi, who is mentioned below
as having any interest in the burial-grounds, said in the course of an
inflammatory speech on March 13th : ' The vehicle employed to convey
plague patients to the hospital was regarded as a hearse brought to
the door of one's house to take away the dead. Mothers whose ill and
suffering children were taken away from them would become frantic
and sacrifice their lives; men's frenzy would turn them into fanatics ;
they would lose control over themselves. How could a husband be
expected to tolerate the sight of his wife's hand being in the hand of
another man? From the vans or carriages for the sick patients
were taken out and thrown down upon the floor of the hospital as if
they were so many pieces of stone. Moreover, in the hospital one
could not say his prayers so many times a day; one would be made
to drink spirits."
"The last argument of all was one urged by a street orator, who
insisted that segregation was contrary to the principles of Islam. "
History of the
opposition and
of the means
taken to over-
come it.
Petition to His
Excellency the
Governor.
Deputation to
General Gatacre,
Mass meeting
It was some time before the Konkani Sunnis became at all recon-
ciled to the orders of the Government or consented to assist in carry-
ing them out. They first presented a petition to the Governor of
Bombay. His Excellency replied on the 29th of March that it was
evident that the petition had been drawn up under a very serious
misconception of the objects the Government had in view in appoint-
ing the Committee, and of the manner in which it was proposed
to attain them. These objects and methods were then carefully
explained. On the same day a deputation of the Konkani Sunnis
waited on General Gatacre and protested against house-to-house
visitation and segregation of the sick in hospital. General Gatacre
replied that the circumstances made it impossible to permit any
attempt to segregate the sick in their own houses. After a protracted
discussion the deputation accepted this view, and consented to provide
hospitals and segregation accommodation for their community. But
on the 2nd of April a mass meeting of the opposition party was held
CHAP. VII. ]
Measures in the City of Bombay.
149
in the Jama
Masjid.
in the hall of the Jama Masjid at which several resolutions were
passed, of which the following was the first and most important :—
" This meeting declares that all sane and intelligent Sunni Muham-
madans are ready at all times to obey Government orders not in
conflict with their religion, but they can neither agree to, nor aid and
abet in, the forcible removal of the sick to the hospital, and his com-
pulsory separation from all or some of the members of his family
with whom he used to live together, owing to its being directly
opposed to their Sunni Muhammadan religion." A protest and a copy
of the resolution was then forwarded to the Plague Committee.
General
Gatacre's reply
to the resolution
of the meeting.
General
Gatacre's address
to a meeting of
the Muham-
madan com-
munity.
General Gatacre replied, and, with reference to the first resolution,
quoted above, remarked that removal to a public or private hospital
was no hardship, and was necessary in the interests of the community
at large ; also that there was no compulsory separation from the family,
as all or any of the members of the family were encouraged to accom-
pany the patient. " Finally," to quote General Gatacre, " the Chair-
man of the (Plague) Committee addressed a general meeting of the
Anjuman-i-Islam, assembled by the Honourable Mr. Justice Tayabji
and explained to them once for all that the orders of Government on
the subject would be unflinchingly carried out, whatever might be the
consequences, and at the same time dispelled the notion which some
mischief-makers had put into their heads, that the preventive measures
which the Committee were taking were opposed to the spirit or
practice of the Muhammadan religion. "
Proclamation
issued by the
Plague Com-
mittee.
At the same time the Plague Committee issued and circulated
widely a manifesto explaining the nature of their arrangements and
the reasons for enforcing them, and exposing the misrepresentations
that had been disseminated.
Subsidence of
the opposition.
Help given
by influential
native gentle-
men.
Once the operations of the Committee were in full force the opposi-
tion quickly subsided and was replaced by a willing assistance and a
spirit oí self-help. This change is, in the first place, to be attributed
to the help given by the Justices of the Peace and other influential
members of the Muhammadan and Hindu communities who by associat-
ing themselves with the conduct of the operations, by providing
hospitals and segregation accommodation for their brethren, and by
explaining to the more ignorant what was really being done and the
reasons why it was being done, gradually restored a feeling of
confidence.
Tact and
patience of the
Committee.
In the second place, the change is to be attributed to the tact,
patience, and unremitting attention of the Plague Committee. The
account of the work of the Committee which was fully recorded in
the local newspapers shows how day by day they conferred with the
150
Measures in the City of Bombay.
[ CHAP. VII.
leaders of the various communities, encouraged them in their efforts,
helped them to select sites for their hospitals, and assisted them in
their attempts to detect all cases of the disease and to provide for
those who were attacked by it.
GENERAL REMARKS ON THE OPERATIONS OF THE
COMMITTEE.
General
Gatacre's
report.
The following description of the work of the Committee is mainly
derived from the interesting report prepared by General Gatacre. The
passages marked with inverted commas are extracts from General
Gatacre's account.
General
features of the
system.
Broadly it may be said that the system followed by the Plague
Committee differed from that previously in force in the city by enlist-
ing the help of the people themselves to a larger extent, by providing
for the more certain detection of cases of the disease, by the removal
of all patients to hospital, by the provision of largely increased public
and private hospital accommodation, and by the more systematic
evacuation for purposes of disinfection of all infected houses or
rooms.
Divisions of the
subject.
It will be convenient to describe the operations under the follow-
ing main heads :—
(1) Organisation.
(2) Detection of cases and removal of patients to hospital,
(3) Treatment of the sick in hospital.
(4) Disposal of corpses.
(5) Segregation of persons likely to be infected.
(6) Disinfection of houses and articles.
(7) General sanitary measures.
ORGANISATION.
Division of the
city into ten
districts.
District Medical
Officers of
Health.
The first step taken by the Committee was the division of the
city into ten districts, due regard being had to the density of the
population and the number of houses in each. Each of these ten
districts was placed in charge of a responsible medical officer, styled
the District Medical Officer of Health. In most of the districts the
officer in charge was a Commissioned Medical Officer of the Indian or
Army Medical Service,
CHAP. VII. ]
Measures in the City of Bombay.
151
Duties of these
officers.
The following were the main duties of the District Medical Officers.
General superintendence and sanitary supervision of the district ;
supervision of the working of the district hospitals ; supervision of
the work of the search parties ; control of the disinfection of infected
areas and buildings ; inspection of segregation camps ; notification to
the officer appointed by the Government of all insanitary premises
discovered in the district; reporting on the registration of burials and
cremations, and supervision of the sanitary condition of cemeteries.
The District Medical Officers submitted a daily report to the Plague
Committee, narrating the events of the past twenty-four hours, and
making any suggestions they had to offer.
The ten districts.
The ten districts into which the city was divided are shown in
different colours in the map on page 7 of Volume IV, and the quarters
of the city contained in each district are also given. The following
is a list of the districts :—
Quarters of the city contained in the District.
District No. I.
Upper Colaba
...
...
...
...
Lower Colaba
...
...
...
...
TOTAL
District No. II.
Fort, South
Fort, North
Esplanade
...
...
...
TOTAL
District No. III.
Mandvi
...
...
...
...
Chakla
Umarkhadi
...
...
...
...
...
Donga
...
...
...
...
...
TOTAL
Population.
4,335
13,622
17,957
3,951
32,847
10,064
46,862
37,295
32,197
52,468
30,317
152,277
Houses.
164
1,194
1,358
469
1,195
458
2,122
1,615
1,030
1,784
1,054
5,483
152
Measures in ¿he City of Bombay.
[CHAP. VII.
Quarters of the city contained in the District.
District No. IV.
Market
..,
...
...
...
Bhuleshwar
...
...
...
...
...
Kharatalao
...
...
...
...
...
Kumbharwada ...
...
...
...
...
TOTAL
District No. V.
Dhobitalao
...
...
...
...
...
Fanaswadi
...
...
...
...
...
Girgaum
...
...
...
...
Chowpati
...
...
...
...
...
TOTAL
District No. VI.
Kamathipura
...
...
...
...
First Nagpada
...
...
...
...
...
Second Nagpada...
...
...
TOTAL
District No. VII.
Walkeshwar
...
...
...
...
...
Mahalakshmi
.,.
...
...
...
TOTAL
District No. VIII.
Khetwadi
...
...
...
...
...
Byculla
...
...
...
...
Tardeo
...
...
...
...
...
TOTAL
District No. IX.
Mazagon
...
...
...
...
...
Tarwadi
...
...
...
...
TOTAL
District No. X.
Parel
...
...
Siwri
...
...
...
...
Sion
...
...
».
...
...
Worli
Mahim
...
...
•••
...
..
TOTAL
Population.
44,751
38,363
27,035
32,209
142,358
39,945
24,069
26,999
11,512
102,525
29,203
11,133
18,768
59,104
12,930
17,014
30,004
28,814
47,403
18,980
95,197
33,640
21,298
54,938
28,740
6,063
19,601
25,493
18,505
98,402
Houses.
1,724
1,331
720
914
4,689
1,620
1,146
1,280
902
4,948
1,344
245
545
2,134
1,365
1,279
2,644
1,270
1,307
711
3,288
1,946
1,159
3,105
1,229
880
2,318
a,28&
2,912
9,625
GÏÎAP. VII.]
Measures in the City of Bombay.
153
Subdivision of
districts.
Staff.
Justices of the
Peace.
Total staff.
The districts" were further divided into subdivisions, usually under
the charge of an officer selected from the medical practitioners of the
city. The inspectors and disinfecting staff already working under the
Health Department of the Municipality were, after the introduction of
the new organisation, directed by the District Medical Officers, the
same plan being adopted with regard to the extra men working under
the Drainage Department. The staff was also largely increased. A
number of Justices of the Peace and other influential gentlemen
assisted in the work in each subdivision in a manner that has already
been alluded to and will be described in greater detail hereafter. The
following is a statement of the total staff of the districts, apart from
the hospital staff, and the lady doctors and other ladies who assisted
in the house-to-house visitation, etc. :—
Subdivisional medical officers ...
...
Justices of the Peace
British non-commissioned officers
.,,
British soldiers
* Military sepoys ...
...
* Police sepoys
...
Ambulance sepoys ...
...
Inspectors of health, disinfection, etc.
...
Sub-inspectors
...
...
...
Clerks ...
Time-keepers
...
...
...
Watchmen
Overseers
...
Labourers
...
...
...
25
115
3
10
518
158
35
15
133
38
17
38
62
... 2,035
Aid afforded by
the military.
General Gatacre makes the following remarks on the subject of
the aid afforded by the military: "Owing to the terrifying effect
the heavy mortality from plague produced on the lower classes of
natives in Bombay, it was almost impossible to procure servants
of any description to serve in plague hospitals ; and when procured
tempted by the high rates of wages offered, their stay was most
uncertain. It constantly happened that men joining the hospital
for duty only remained for a few hours. The constant change in
menial staff thus caused gave much extra trouble to the medical
officers concerned, and was most detrimental to the well-being of the
patients. With the sanction of His Excellency Lieutenant-General
Sir Charles Nairne, K.C.B., Commanding the Forces, Bombay
the services of troops in the Bombay District, both British and
* Number of officers not stated.
20
154
Measures in the City of Bombay.
[ CHAP. VIL
native, were placed at the disposal of the Bombay Government,
and, in response to the call for volunteers, officers and men sent in
their names en masse. Henceforward wherever and whenever in
the presidency assistance was required to assist in house visitation,
to work .... in the hospitals as clerks, storekeepers, ward orderlies,
dressers, cooks, orderlies, or to draw the spring ambulances, parties
of sepoys were detailed for these purposes and placed on permanent
duty in the district in which their work lay. "
Military staff.
The total number of troops employed in the city was—
British.
Officers
Non-commissioned officers
...
Men
...
...
Native.
British officers
...
...
Native officers
...
...
Non-commissioned officers
...
,,.
Men
...
...
...
...
3
6
20
4
II
29
537
Native soldiers
chiefly employed.
Native soldiers were employed in preference to English soldiers.
" The reason of this was, first, that the European garrison of Bom-
bay is small and is very fully occupied with guard and other duties,
and, secondly, that in works which take the British soldier into native
houses there is always a risk owing to his absolute ignorance, in
most cases, of the language and habits of natives, of a misunderstand-
ing arising which may lead to serious offence being given where none
is intended." The Justices also "worked more freely and happily
with men of their own race than with European soldiers."
Clothing, arms,
sanitary pre-
cautions.
The soldiers were clothed in a working dress of blue drill with
putties ; they wore no side arms, and, except in the cases of large
detachments posted at distant points in No. X District (the large
northern district), their rifles were left in regimental charge. Careful
precautions were taken to protect the soldiers from infection. They
were segregated in tents or huts situated close to their work, A cot
was given to each man to keep him off the ground. Clothes were
changed on return from plague duty, the working parties were
inspected each day by a medical officer, and a set of careful instruc-
tions was issued with regard to the sanitary and other precautions to
be observed. Eleven deaths from plague occurred among the sepoys.
Cordiality
between the
military staff
and the civil
population.
General Gatacre states that it was " gratifying to note the extreme
cordiality that existed throughout the whole period during which the
troops were employed between the military on duty and the civil
population. Every kindness, consideration and civility were shown
to the people by the men ; this was thoroughly appreciated, and the.