Plague in Calcutta in 1898

Source : The British Medical Journal, Vol.1, # 2041 (Feb 10, 1900), P. 340

Stable URL :http://www.jstor.org/stable/20263414

PLAGUE IN CALCUTTA IN 1898

The report of Dr. Nield Cook, the Health Office of Calcutta, on the plague which prevailed in that city from April to July, 1898, is an interesting document. Beginning with the statement that it was emphatically asserted by some of the oldest inhabitants that plague has never been in Bengal, and that for some occult reason it could not take hold if it was imported, he proceeds to show that there are no records on the subject. In 1770 a very destructive epidemic occurred in Calcutta, which carried off 20 percent of the population in eight weeks, but there is no description of the disease, and as it followed on the wake of a famine Dr. Cook thinks that it might have been typhus fever, relapsing fever or small pox. Passing over without comment the earlier cases in 1896 and 1897, about which there was so much dispute, Dr. Cook deals with the outbreak which occurred during his tenure of office.

The first case reported to the Health Officer occurred  in the centre of the town in a man who had not left Calcutta for some time. He was seen when dead, and had a left femoral bubo presenting the characteristic appearance of a plague bubo. The necropsy showed large extravasation of blood extending from the infected gland upwards and downwards, also small extravasation of the heart, bowels, etc. One of the domes who assisted at the necrospsy, and who accidentally scratched his finger, was two days after found to have a temperature of 102o and a pulse of 105; later he was attacked with unmistakable plague, and died on the fourteenth day. Bacteriological examination of the first case gave cultures which, on being sent to Mr. Haffkine, were stated by him to be undoubted plague bacilli. Though this was the first case reported, there had been others treated previously in hospital whose clinical history showed that they were plague cases. From April 14th to July 31st, 190 cases with 155 deaths were reported.

One of the earliest phenomenon observed was a high mortality among rats. This occurred about the same time as the first case was reported, and probably was cause of attention being drawn to the subject. It could hardly be said to be the cause of the first cases, for, as stated, cases obviously of plague had been admitted into hospital before the alarm about rats was raised. Great difficulty appeared to have been experienced in the administration, owing to the panic which seized the inhabitants, and a very graphic account is given of the statement from the city of men and women, and of attack on ambulence parties and on the doctor.

In one case of these a medical man had to shoot two of his assailants in self-defence. Superstition leading to distrust and suspicion of all plague officers was at the foundation of these frenzies on the part of the populace. One of these superstitions is stated to be that the Viceroy had met a Yogi in some remote spot in the Himalayas, and made a compact with him to sacrifice 2 lakhs of lives to the goddess Kali, from whom the city of Calcutta takes its name, to save the British Government in India which she would otherwise overthrow. During the sixteen weeks, 2,490 persons were inoculated against plague. Dr. Cook and his assistants, European and native, are to be congratulated on the excellent services which they rendered to the Corporation at the time of great emergency.