Report upon the outbreak of plague on the Witwatersrand : March 18th to July 31st, 1904 / Rand Plague Committee.

  • South Africa. Rand Plague Committee.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report upon the outbreak of plague on the Witwatersrand : March 18th to July 31st, 1904 / Rand Plague Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    34/122 page 24
    . The photographer contracted the disease in his residence, living, as he was, with his brother the carpenter in a room in the Market Buildings. The housewife contracted the disease at her residence. The vagrant happened to be both sleeping and working where plague rats were found. The clerk possibly picked up the infection at his residence, but there is no evidence. whilst much the same applies to the tailoress. The scene-shifter lived in a place where dead rats were found and worked in a place where plague rats were found. Of the two store-keepers, one lived at a place where no plague rats or dead rats were found, the other, a dealer, lived in the next room to a case which had occurred over two months before. The schoolgirl contracted the disease at her residence. Of the domestics, 5 were kitchen boys in restaurants—four of them living on the premises ; four were house-boys, all living on the premises; and two were domestic servants, also living on the premises. On three of the premises plague rats were found, on five dead rats, and on two of the premises no rats were found. Of the two children, one lived at the Coolie Location, and one lived where no plague or dead rats were found. Of the 12 labourers, two resided in the Coolie Location, and were, therefore, probably in contact with the patients or infected houses, 3 were seeking work and spent a considerable part of their day in or near the Native Pass Office where plague infected rats were found, one resided at a place where dead rats were found ; of 6 no information can be obtained. Of the cigar-maker, nothing is known as to the source of the infection and the same applies to the hawker. Of the three store boys, two lived or were working where plague rats were found, and one lived where dead rats were found. The sanitary boy probably contracted the disease in the course of his work, although dead rats were found in the compound in which he was living. The Engine Stoker lived where plague rats were discovered. Thus of the 49 cases of which something is known, there are 30 connected with plague or dead rats, 19 either unconnected or about which the method of infection is unknown. Of the 30 cases, 25 are connected with rats at their residences and only 5 at the place of work. The shortened summary of these facts is as follows .— Contacts ae os oa. DD ! = 60 Probable Contacts .. % 5 Possible Contacts .. wa 4 Connected with Plague Rats, a4 — 30 Connected with Dead Rats 15] Untraceable .. a: et 19
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3