The chilling preface by Brigadier-General Gatacre describes the devastating effects of the plague on the population of Bombay over the course of approximately one year. The population at the start of the outbreak was around 850,000 and by March 1897 nearly 20,000 deaths had been recorded, with, at the height of the epidemic, a weekly death rate of nearly 3,000. Trade was paralysed as inhabitants fled from the city, and although the situation was brought under control, plague was still considered epidemic as late as 1910. One positive outcome of the disaster was the establishment of the Bombay City Improvement Trust, which became responsible for planning the city.