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hospitals. An important step taken by the Committee was to provide more
Government hospitals in all parts of the city in order to obviate the danger
arising from the shock caused by a removal to a distant hospital. At the
same time all the communities were urged to prepare their own hospitals, as it
was the intention of the Commitee to have all cases removed from houses,
and if no caste hospital was ready their patients would be taken to the nearst
Government hospital. They were given the option of putting up a separate
shed for themselves inside the compound of some Government hospital, or of
providing an entirely separate one of their own. The result of this was that
applications began to pour in rapidly, and the house-to-house searches which
were vigorously carried on convinced all classes that no time was to be lost if
they wished to have their sick under their own management. The management
of these caste hospitals was entirely in the hands of the promoters, the only
interference being that the District Medical Officer frequently visited all the
hospitals in his district to see that proper sanitary arrangements were made,
that the treatment of the patients was consistent with humanity, and that
sufficient good food was administered to them. The treatment was left, as
stipulated, entirely in the hands of a practitioner appointed by the community
and approved by the Committee. The relations and friends of the patients who
wished to attend them were allowed to do so, sheds and food being provided
for them free of charge. The knowledge that they would be allowed to attend
their friends in hospital went far towards reconciling the relations of the plague-
stricken to their removal.
5. Another important step in regard to the treatment of cases in hospital
was the employment of nurses by the Commitee. The Sisters of Bándra (Sisters
of the Cross), the Mázgaon Sisters (All Saints' Sisters), and the Clare Road
Sisters (Nuns of Jesus and Mary), came forward about this time. The Mázgaon
Sisters had volunteered for the Arthur Road Hospital early in February, and
their services were generally accepted by the Committee. Other nurses were
procured locally and the Secretary of State was asked to send 12 more trained
nurses from England. The details given in the report of the Committee show
that everywhere it was found that the services of the nurses were fully
appreciated by the patients, who showed many signs of their gratitude.
6. It has already been mentioned that all the disinfecting staff formerly
engaged by the Municipality was taken over by the Committee. Large additions
were now made to it, and every house in which a case of plague or even of sus-
pected plague had taken place was thoroughly disinfected under the immediate
supervision of the District Medical Officers, each of whom had a separate gang
of experienced coolies under the Health Department Inspectors attached to his
district for this purpose.
7. As regards the segregatian of the probably affected, the third suggestion
of His Excellency the Governor on the discovery of a case the relatives and
persons living in the room with the patient were removed with him to hospital
and kept under observation for from 10 to 15 days. The breadwinner of the family
was allowed to go out of the hospital during the day if he so desired, returning at
night. Where several plague cases occurred in a chawl or house, the place was
vacated and the tenants found quarters in other premises, and as far as possible
they were kept under observation by the District Medical Officer of the district.
The wholesale vacation of infected streets or districts was not attempted, for no
space was available in Bombay for such large camps as would have been neces-
sary when the epidemic existed throughout the city ; neither was it considered
to be essential, as all Government and private hospitals provided segregation
houses or huts for the families of infected persons. But in the months of March
and April the population of the city was reduced to about 475,000 and whole
streets of houses in the worst districts were vacated by the spontaneous night of
the people.
Examination of Traffic.
8. It is estimated that about of lakhs of people had left Bombay by the time
oí the appointment of the Committee. With the decreasing epidemic the stream
set the other way, and the inspection of the inward traffic was carried out
by the Committee, arrangements being made for the examination of all arrivals
by land and sea. The Thána District was one of the worst affected at this time,