?2 [CHAP. I., ?T. ?.
plague during this first year, Belgaum, Bijapur, Broach, Dharwar, Jath, Kaira, and Kanara-
all in the South-escaped scot-free ; while in the North, Thar and Parkar and the Upper Sind
Frontier remained untouched. The severest epidemics of this first year, which may be taken
as ending on the 4th of June 1897, occurred at Bombay, Bhiwndi, Cutch Mandvi, Damaun,
Karachi, and Poona. The following are the figures :-
1896-97.
Serial 
No.
Place.
Population.
Duration of Epidemic. 
C.
D.
Percentage mortality on population.
Source of Infection.
1
Bombay City ...
806,144
Sep. 1896- 4th June 1897.
12,425
10,562
1.29
Unknown.
2
Poona (including
Cantonments
and Suburbs)
161,696
Sep. 1896- May 1897 ...
2,629
1,879
1.16
Bombay.
3
Karachi
97,009
Dec. 1896- July 1897 ...
4,178
3,390
 3.45
Unknown.
4
Cutch Mandvi...
38,155
Apr. 1897- August 1897.
4,359*
3,853*
10.09
Bombay or
Karachi.
5
Bhiwndi ... 
14,387
Apr. 1897- August 1897.
2,335
1,741
12.10
Bombay.
6
Damaun ... 
8,230
Feb. 1897- July 1897 ...
....† 
2,352*
28·58
Bulsar.

* Approximate only. † Not known.

But all these epidemics were destined to be eclipsed by those of the succeeding years.
The total numbers of officially recorded cases and deaths throughout the Presidency
during this first period of Plague were :-
23rd September 1896 to 4th June 1897.
Cases, 35,434-Deaths, 28,737.
But the actual numbers were considerably larger ; concealment, flight, late detection
of the disease, all combining to prevent discovery of the real figures. An endeavour will
be made in a subsequent chapter to arrive at an estimate of the true plague mortality.
Two maps are given for each period. The first series (I, II, III, &c.) show the total plague
mortality in Districts, adding in that of the large Towns, without showing the latter separately.
The second series [I (a), II (a), &c.] shows the large Towns separately, and in this series the
plague mortality of large Towns has been deducted from that of Districts. These last obviously
give the more correct view of the actual incidence of plague.
SECOND PERIOD.
4th June 1897 to 3rd June 1898.
During the next month Plague steadily declined throughout the Presidency, until,
during the week ending 16th July 1897, it was limited to rapidly subsiding epidemics in the
Surat, Thana, Poona, and Kolaba districts, in Cutch and in Sind : the largest number of
cases returned during this week being 25 from the Karachi District, and the total number
throughout the Presidency being 132 cases and 103 deaths (including Baroda). It was