3
mild type. The average duration of the disease seemed to be about a week and
no hæmorrhagic cases had been reported. He was glad to be able to assure
Government that the utmost activity prevailed in the infected area on the part
of the Health Department of the Municipality. The sewers had been opened,
and there was a free flow through them. A large establishment of labourers
was working under the orders of the Health Officer in cleaning up the locality
in every way, and sea-water was being pumped all night by a powerful
centrifugal pump through the sewers in the district.
He proposed the
following measures :
(1) That the Sanitary staff, both in medical men and in subordinates,
should be increased.
(2) That Suburban Municipalities like Bándra and Thána should be
warned and instructions issued to them to enable them to at once recognise
the disease, if it should break out there ; that local medical practitioners
should temporarily be employed as Health Officers, and accurate registra-
tion of deaths at all places for the disposal of the dead should be insisted on.
This last point needed attention in Bombay itself.
(3) The sick should be isolated in hospital and their bedding burned
or disinfected.
(4) The filth dug out of the sewers should be at once removed.
7. The Committee appointed by Government held their first meeting
on September 30th. To direct their deliberations the Surgeon-General had
prepared the following instructions :
(1) To study the evidence for the existence of plague (bacteriological,
clinical, returns of plague deaths, and of deaths from all causes).
(2) To suggest remedial measures, such as
(a) Isolation of the sick, in hospital or on ships.
(b) Destruction of infected bedding, &c.
(c) Enforced isolation of infected houses with their inhabitants,
pending complete disinfection.
(d) House-to-house visitation to detect cases.
(e) Attention to other parts of the city, to flush drains and
gullies and clean streets.
(f) Seizure and destruction of all articles known to have been
exposed to infection.
(g) To warn Suburban Municipalities.
(h) Inspection of coasting steamers on departure.
(i) Issue of vernacular instructions as to the importance of wounds
and abrasions, and explaining the reasons for sanitary measures.
(j) Consultation with, and instruction of, leading members of
various castes.
8. At the first meeting of the Committee it was merely resolved—(1) That
the disease prevailing was true bubonic plague. (2) That the Municipal Com-
missioner should be requested to " obtain from Government the necessary
powers to carry out as far as practicable the sanitary measures recommended
by the Surgeon-General." The Committee rejected proposals for the appoint-
ment of a bacteriologist and of a sub-committee of a pathologist, a bacterio-
logist, and a physician.
9. In forwarding on October 1st the proceedings of the Committee to
Government the Surgeon-General expressed his regret that the proposals for
appointing a bacteriologist and an expert sub-committee had not been carried.
10. The first point urged by the Surgeon-General in his letter received on
September 30th, viz., the increase of the Sanitary staff, was also raised by the
Municipal Commissioner in his letter of October 1st, in which he asked for more
medical men to attend on the sick, two Assistant Surgeons and four Hospital Assist-
ants. These were immediately supplied to the Commissioner (two Assistant