?187
In  connection with the above it may be interesting to note the
density of population in a few districts in the City :-
District.
Area in
Acres.
Population.
Density
per Acre.
Kamatipura  ...     ...
66
29,203
441.5
Dhobi Talao  ...    ...
97
29,945
407.7
Kumbar Wada ... ...
46
32,209
699.3
Khara Talao ...   ...   
41
27,033
649.3
Bhuleshwar...   ...
75
38,361
506
in all of which districts plague raged with more or less virulence at
various times. In comparing this with the City of London it may be
mentioned that the greatest density of that town is probably not more
than 222 persons per acre.
Plans Nos. 11 and 11a show the progress of the disease in Worli
Koliwada. The events which accompanied the course of the disease in
this village are exceedingly interesting. Worli Koliwada is an isolated
village on a peninsula in the north of the Island ; it is inhabited almost
entirely by Kolis (fishermen). The number of houses in the village is
936, and the normal population is 5,493. The character of the disease
was marked by extraordinary virulence, over 90 per cent. of the
persons attacked dying, often after a few hours' illness only.
The houses are mostly kutcha-built with cadjan roofs, which are
in many cases brought down so low as to render the inside very dark.
The streets are exceedingly narrow. There is no artificial drainage, but
good natural drainage exists from west to east ; the whole village is
open to the sea-breeze on two sides. During the months of October and
November 1896 there is no record of any case of plague having been
present in the village ; the first case being reported on December 1st.
The villagers were fully alive to the dangers of the disease and
of its getting into the village, and they took extraordinary precautions.
The three patels, headmen of the village, agreed among themselves as
far back as October to prevent strangers entering the village, by placing
watchmen at the entrances, and to allow no persons to proceed from the
village to any affected part of Bombay ; they even went so far as to
object to the usual Municipal coolies visiting the village for cleansing
purposes. But all this was of no avail, as a Koli (named Roza Maria
Creado), resident of the village, died on December 1st. No further deaths
occurred till December 11th.
Plan No. 11 is on a horizontal scale of four days to one inch and
a vertical scale of four deaths to one inch.
It will be seen that the deaths have been grouped Nos. 1, 2, & 3.
On plan No. 11a the deaths have been shown in the houses in
which they occurred by circles colored in the respective colors of the
groups (either 1, 2 or 3) which they represent.