?Extract from Notes by Surgeon-Major K. S. Nariman, Civil Surgeon,
Surat, regarding Plague in the City of Surat.
The first case of plague occurred in a Mahomedan boy, about 15 years of age,
who was intercepted at the Railway station by the Medical Inspector and
brought to the Contagious Disease Wards of the Civil Hospital on the 8th
December 1896. He was a resident of Bombay and lived at Khára Kuwa.
The boy had contracted the disease in Bombay. It was of eight days'
duration. The symptoms were very mild and he was progressing very favour-
ably, temperature having gone down to 99·6 and pulse 98; but all of a sudden on
the third day of admission, as he was sitting up to drink some sodawator, he
felt faint and dropped down dead. This was the first reported imported case.
The last case was indigenous and occurred on the 11th May.
Between 8th December 1896 and 11th May 1897 (a period of about five
months) in all 114 cases were reported, exclusive of 13 under observation and
discharged cured. Of the 114 cases 49 were imported and 65 indigenous.
From 8th December 1896 to 21st February 1897 all the cases, 33 in number,
were returned as imported.
The first reported indigenous case occurred at Shápore Náran Tekra in a
Bráhmin boy, who was taken to the Segregation Ward of the Civil Hospital on
the 21st February, where he died on the same day.
On the same day another Bráhmin boy, living in the neighbourhood of the
first case, was taken to the Párakh Dharmshála, where he died on the following
day (22nd).
The father of the first case was attacked on the 22nd and died in the Párakh
Dharmshála on the following day. A younger brother was attacked on the 24th
and died on the 27th February.
Thus between the 21st and 24th February three persons of the same family,
father and two sons, and one person living in their neighbourhood, in all four
persons, were attacked and they all succumbed to the disease.
It is said that dead rats were found in this locality, but the family had not
come in contact with any fugitives from Bombay.
As soon as the first three cases were attacked with plague at Shápore, they
were taken to another locality called Ambáji's Chakla to escape detection, and,
consequently, the houses in both the localities in which they had stayed were
thoroughly disinfected, with the result that no fresh cases occurred there.
The next place of infection was Nánpura Máchhivád, whence three
children of the fisherman caste, two brothers and one sister, were brought to the
Civil Hospital on the 25th February. Of these one died on the 27th February
and the remaining two were discharged cured on the 11th March.
On enquiry it appears that these children had come to Surat with their
mother from Ránder, where the disease was then prevalent. The hut at Nán-
pura in which the family had lived being just behind the sub-jail and being
quite katcha, was completely destroyed, and, as a result, no fresh case has up to
this time occurred in that locality. The woman was given Rs. 15 on the spot
as compassionate allowance, and she was provided with the necessary bamboos
and tiles to rebuild her hut.
On the next day, that is, 26th February, Rudherpura, a place chiefly inhabited
by fishermen, Darjis (tailors) and other low class people, appeared to be
affected. On that day four fishermen were found dead in their houses. They
appeared well nourished. On carefully examining their bodies no buboes could
be seen.
On carefully searching the locality the same day a fisherwoman was found
suffering from plague. She had a bubo in the right armpit and her temperature
had gone up to 102°; she was removed to the Párakh Dharmshála, where she
expired the next day (27th).
B 1086