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the efficacy of Professor Haffkine's lymph. It has to be remembered, however,
that the inoculations were not commenced till after the epidemic had passed its
highest point, that a large proportion of the persons inoculated did not live in
a highly infected locality, and that most of them did not belong to the classes
that have been the chief sufferers from the plague in Poona.
XIV.—THE TrOOPS EMPLOYED.
The troops employed on the operations against the plague were drawn from
the following Corps :—
Royal Artillery.
Royal Horse Artillery.
Durham Light Infantry.
Royal Irish Riftes.
2nd Bombay Lancers.
Bombay Sappers and Miners.
2nd Bombay Grenadiers.
14th Bombay Infantry.
19th Bombay Infantry.
28th Bombay Pioneers.
Men were also taken from the Commissariat and Transport Departments
and the Army Medical Staff. The number of troops employed at different
periods of the operations is shown in Appendix 53. It will be seen that the
greatest number of troops was employed from March 20th to May 5th, when
the total number of British and Native troops on plague duty was 1,112. After
May 5th, as the operations were contracted, the number of troops employed was
gradually reduced till on June 1st it stood at 124.
2. The troops on plague duty were up to May 19th encamped at Parvati
near the Sinhgad Road with the exception of those who were stationed as guards
at the hospitals and segregation camps and (from April 26th) those who did
duty as watchmen at the burial and burning grounds. When the work of the
military search, fumigation, and limewashing parties ceased, the majority of the
troops employed returned to military duty and the camp at Parvati was broken
up. The Native Infantry who were retained for segregation and death registra-
tion work were moved to the General Segregation Camp, while the few men
of the Cavalry and the British Regiments who remained on plague duty were
allowed to live in their regimental lines.
3. Appendix 54 shows the chief alterations made from time to time in
the constitution and strength of the search, fumigation and limewashing divi-
sions, and gives other particulars regarding the employment of the troops.
Appendices 55, 56 and 57 are tabular statements relating to guards on hospitals
and camps, night picquets, and transport and ambulance respectively.
4. Disciplinary powers over the troops employed on the operations were
vested in Major Pager, Commandant of the Plague Duty Camp. That officer's
report, dated 20th May 1897, on the conduct and health of the troops is annexed
(Appendix 58). The members of the Plague Committee concur with Major
Paget in the high opinion he has expressed on the conduct of the troops, both
Native and British. The discipline of the troops when at work in the city was
excellent, and the utmost consideration was shown both by officers and men for
the religious and social customs of the inhabitants. I may mention that reports
on the conduct of the men who worked under them were called for from the
officers commanding the various working parties, and that the reports received
were without exception favourable as regards both British and Native Troops.
5. That the conduct of the men when engaged on plague work was so
good is doubtless chiefly due to the fact that they were under the immediate
command of British officers who were responsible for their discipline and good
conduct just as they would have been if they had been employed on military
duty. In the case of the search divisions, the supervision was particularly close.
It was one of the principles of the search that the parties of a division should
be kept together, as much as possible, and the officer commanding the division