94
"Statement showing proportion of admission for fever from each district
"in the City of Bombay from 1st May 1908 to 31st April 1909 :-
No. of
Police.
No. of Admissions.
Admission
per
thousand.
*Fort
325
440
1,353.9
*Dockyard
81
267
3,296.3
*Mandvi
71
140
1,818.1
*Chakla
63
56
888.8
*Umarkhadi
70
38
542.8
*Dongri
45
29
644.4
*Market
72
51
708.3
*Dhobi Talao
81
102
1,259.2
Bhuleshwar
69
24
326.2
Null Bazar
76
22
289.4
Girgaum
33
22
666.6
*Walkeshwar
55
46
836.3
Mahaluxmi
45
17
377.7
Kandewadi
72
32
444.4
*Mazagon
51
56
1,098
Tarwadi
68
27
397
Kamatipura
53
15
283
Nagpada
33
7
212.12
Jacob Circle
43
21
488.4
Parel
54
36
666.6
Matunga
55
29
527.27
Mahim
81
23
296.3
Worli
72
19
263.8
*Water Police
96
110
1,145.8
*Prince's Dock
112
311
2,776.8
Total
1,882
1,941
1,031.3
* 1,128-1459.2 per 1,000. This refers to Police engaged in the specially malarious areas.
N.B.-Office, Detective, Armed and Mounted Police are omitted owing to their residence being scattered.
"These observations serve to give some idea of the amount of sickness
"produced by this disease within the City. As to the financial loss
"resulting directly and indirectly from this cause, no estimate can be
"given, but there is little question that it must amount to many lakhs
"of rupees annually. Such loss is necessarily very greatly increased when
"Malaria becomes epidemic as is has done in Bombay recently. But it
"must not be supposed that the disease was not present in considerable
"amount within the City previously. Enquiry shows that it has existed
"in certain parts of Bombay for many years and there is no likelihood
"of its dying out spontaneously. On the other hand there appear to be
"grave reasons for believing that in the absence of organized measures for
"its suppression, the disease will persist, and may even extend and increase
"in intensity in certain localities from time to time; while so long as it
"remains unchecked, the City will be exposed to the danger of epidemics
"similar to the one which has been witnessed during 1907-08. Malaria
"presents in Bombay certain peculiarities both as regards distribution
"and propagation which are in marked contrast to generally recorded
"observations in other parts of India. In this City, Malaria, which is
"generally considered to be a disease of scattered rural districts and
"tracts of jungle and unopened country, may be found widely distributed
"through densely populated areas, such as Chakla, Umarkhadi and
"Khara Talao with populations of from 500 to over 600 persons per
"acre. The explanation of this fact is given by a study of the habits
"of the mosquito which serves as the common carrier of the infection in
"this City. For the species of Anopheles-N. stephensi which serves to
"propagate Malaria within Bombay, is found to breed readily in wells,
"cisterns, tanks, tubs and in fact in almost any conceivable receptacle for
"water-natural or artificial-whereas in many places where other varieties
"of Anopheles are concerned-only natural breeding places such as