254                                            [CHA?. VIII.
Ashta.
Population-11,403.
The town of Ashta, with a population of over 11,000, was
now attacked for the first time.
The first 2 cases of plague in Ashta occurred on the 16th December 1898 ; the origin,
as usual, being obscure. By the 26th of December 4 more cases had occurred, and a large
block of 100 houses was promptly evacuated. Up to the 16th January 1899 no more cases
were reported ; but after that date cases again began to occur-the first few on
the outskirts of the evacuated block. Large blocks of from 50 to 100 houses were now
emptied ; but evacuation did not keep pace with the spread of the disease. Ultimately
(about the 7th of February 1899) the whole town was evacuated ; a large Segregation
Camp being ready by the 17th February, which proved very successful. This Camp was
constantly guarded by police, and was in the medical charge of a Hospital Assistant
who arrived on the 5th February. The houses in the town were unroofed by paid coolies.
The plague operations in the town o£ Ashta and the Segregation Camp abovementioned
were both under Lieutenant H. C. Steen, I. S. C. They were both highly successful, as
the following figures show :-
Month.
Cases.
Deaths.
December 1898
4
2
January  1899
5
3
February  "
30
28
March     "
52
40
April     "
20
19
May       "
9
6
Total
120
98
Tásgaon.
Population-11,261.
Tásgaon was again attacked in February 1899.    Before this date several imported cases
had occurred in the town.    About the  19th February 1899,
cases occurred in a detached quarter, and, in March, infection
spread to the remainder of the town. Large blocks of houses were ordered by Lieutenant
Steen, who was in charge of the operations, to be evacuated, but owing to opposition, and
to the weather, which in the early part of April was abnormally inclement, evacuation
measures were relaxed. The consequence was a rise in the figures and increasing spread.
Complete evacuation was now decided on and was carried out during May : but at the end
of that month, the town was still on the infected list. Up to that date the following
numbers of cases and deaths had occurred :-
Mouth.
Cases.
Deaths.
February 1899
11
7
March     "
73
66
April     "
42
31
May       "
88
68
Total
214
172
The number of places infected in the third epidemic was very large-240-considerably
more than were infected in the previous epidemic.    But, on the whole, the outbreak, though