32
From the above it will be seen that the fatalities occurred mainly among
those from 11 to 50 years of ago ; that the children also show a number of
attacks, but with a smaller death-rate.
The sex distribution given below shews that the men were more susceptible to the disease than the women, but had greater power of recovery. Every one of the women attacked died, except the solitary inoculated sufferer.
Males
21 Not inoculated had 14 cases with 7 deaths.
6 Inoculated had 0 case with 0 death.
Females
11 Not inoculated had 5 cases with 5 deaths.
15 Inoculated had 1 case with 0 death.
23. The Jewish Community at Aden.-The Jews of Aden are a compact
body, living together in Section A of that part of the settlement known as the
Crater. Though Aden had no previous experience of the havoc wrought by a
visitation of plague, yet, owing to the enlightened action of one or two of the
leading men of this community, the majority had been inoculated, before any
concessions were granted by the authorities to those operated on. It has thus
once more been proved that it is by personal influence and rational explanation
that communities may be persuaded to operation, not necessarily by any concessions granted by the local authorities. The first case of plague in Aden,
occurred on 11th March 1900, and the last on 13th June 1900.
The following shows the rise and progress of the epidemic in the total
population, and among the Jews separately :-
Among total population in March there were 32 cases ; among Jews alone 13 cases.
in April 183 ; 89
in May 141 ; 11
in June 12 ; 0
Total for the whole Population- 371* ; for Jews alone 113* cases.
It is manifest from the above that the Jews were badly infected from the
beginning, and it is interesting to compare the progress of the epidemic, with the
advance of inoculation among them. The epidemic reached its height on the
14th of April, when 10 attacks arc recorded, and thereafter declined steadily till
by the end of the month, the epidemic may be said to have ceased. Inoculation
advanced rapidly after the beginning of April, and by the 13th of that month
more than half the population had been operated on, and as more and more of
the unprotected passed over to the numbers on the inoculated side of the
account, so did the epidemic pari passu decline.
The following table, compiled by Assistant Surgeon Shapurji M. Mehta,
in charge of the Prince of Wales' Charitable Dispensary, Aden, who also carried
out the inoculations, will show the daily course of events :-
Note.- The 113 cases include 26 concealed cases among the Jews discovered during the
census. These are not included in the total number of 371, which was obtained from the Municipal
register only ; no census of the general population, other than Jows, having boon taken.