30
Another building close to this was occupied by Gaolis or milkmen who
belong to a higher caste. When plague broke out among the Mngs, the
Gaolis noticed that rats were dying in their quarters and therefore wisely removed to the cowshed close by. They had no cases among them. Thus the isolated Mngs community, numbering 61 persons, afforded a good opportunity for
an exhaustive enquiry ; and this was accordingly carried out by Dr. E. L. Hunt,
Inspector of Inoculation, and Dr. Arjani, Section Medical Officer of A. Ward,
acting under the direction of Mr. Haffkine himself. There is no doubt, there-
fore, of the thoroughness, or accuracy of the enquiry; for 57 out of the 61
inhabitants were either seen personally by one or other of the above named investigators, or if they had died meanwhile, the papers relating to them were secured
from the adjacent plague hospital where they had been treated.
The remaining four were not seen personally, as they had left the locality,
3 having gone to Poona, and one, a professional beggar, having disappeared in
the City of Bombay. Only one of these four had been inoculated, and none
of them were attacked. The statements of neighbours had therefore to be
accepted in these four cases ; with regard to all the other 57 inhabitants, documentary evidence has been submitted to Government and published by them
in fall.
The first case of plague developed symptoms on the 1st of February 1900,
on the 2nd of the same month 7 were attacked, on the 3rd, 6, and then one case
occurred on each of the following dates, viz., 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, and 12th
February. Altogether 20 attacks took place, with 12 deaths.
The inoculations had been done on various dates from 18th December 1S99
to 29th January 1900. The one case among the inoculated was in the person
of a female, inoculated on 18th December, and attacked on 9th February ; she
recovered.
The following table shows the distribution of the inoculated and uninoculat-
ed, room by room, and the occurrences in each group ;-
Room Number.
Number of Inmates and whether inoculated.
Number of
Attacks.
Deaths.
1
1 Not inoculated
2 Inoculated
2
8 Not inoculated
4
3
3 Inoculated
3
6 Not inoculated
4
2
4 Inoculated
1
4
1 Not inoculated
1
1
2 Inoculated
5
4 Not inoculated
4
4
1 Inoculated
6
4 Not inoculated
3
1
5 Inoculated
7
3 Not inoculated
1
3 Inoculated