Many have been the theories discussed about the origin and spread of this fell disease. Major Deene, special Health Officer in Bombay, has ye another theory to advance. So far ie have always been told that tats have been a great factor in the spread of this terrible scourge that has played such havoc in this country, and we have looked upon ratsasour worst enemies, to be made away with on every possible opportunity, Now we are told by Major Deene that these animals have nothing to do with the spread of plague, in fact that we need not take them into our caleulations in this matter at all. From his report, weser that there were in the last year 7,748 cases of plague in Bombey, of which an average of about 91 per cent proved fatal, It is very dificult to give any absolutely accurate figures, as inspire of unticing vigilance on the part of the authorities, the natives have managed and still do manage to conceal several cases from them. To quote an instance in point: A plague inspector on his rounds visited a certain house and enquired after the health of the inhabitants. One of them came and reported that all was well and pointed to a group representing the rest of the family seated in a further corner of the room playing at cards, which is a favourite pastime among the natives, For some reason the inspector's suspicions were aroused and on going up to the group he found that one of the men sitting with his back to the door was a corpse. He had died of plague a few hours previously and in order to deceive the inspector into believing he was well, and so to save the rest of the inmates from the much-dreaded segregation camp, his family had propped up his body in a sitting posture. Doubtless in some cases the officials were unnecessarily arbitrary in the carrying out of the plague regulations, which caused much heartburning and fresh tempts at concealment. There was a case in the Bombay presidency of x man going to his work in the morning. Jeaving his family well, and on his return in the evening finding his house deserted. with not a message of any kind to tell him where his family had gone. After wandering about for some time and making enquiries at the vations hospitals, he arrived at the right one only to find that his wife had died that morning; and after further enquiries he found that his mother and children had been sent off to one of the segregation camps where he was not allowed to see them. Such cases of gross carelessness on the part of the in-Spectorsare fortunately quite the exception; generally when plague patients are taken off to hospital or to the segregation camps, full instructions of their whereabouts were left in the house or with the neighbours. But it can be easily imagined how one such case among our workmen in England would cause a sensation, and an intense feeling of anger among hundreds. How much more likely is an occurrence of this kind to foster feelings of discontent and hatred in a country where the people are uneducated and naturally of an excitable temperament.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.