6
was performed by the fumigators, while the lime-washers broke up floors and
destroyed rubbish in infected houses in addition to doing the work which gives
them their name. In Poona City disinfection was only carried out by civil
agency in houses where plague cases had been discovered by the Municipal
establishment. Little lime-washing was done by civil agency in the city after
the operations of the military commenced.
10. A warehouse was opened at a central situation in Poona City for the
storage of the contents of houses from which the occupants had been removed
to hospitals or segregation camps.
11. In addition to the operations against the plague which have been
sketched above, efforts were made to keep the general sanitation of the whole
area under the Plague Committee up to an exceptionally high standard, and
special conservancy establishments were employed for that purpose.
12. To minimize the chance of disturbances when troops were engaged
on plague duty in the city and cantonment, the streets were patrolled by Native
Cavalry, and during a portion of the operations a main picquet of Native
Infantry was stationed at a central point.
13. The Committee attached great importance to the punctual registration
of all deaths that occurred, and employed special establishments both to register
deaths and to prevent the secret disposal of corpses of persons whose deaths had
not been registered.
14. As it was found that plague-stricken people were constantly removed
from Poona by night, picquets and patrols of Cavalry and Infantry were placed
on some of the principal roads to prevent their egress.
15.. Towards the close of the operations the villages round. Poona were
searched in order to ascertain whether they were infected by plague.
16. Arrangements were made by Surgeon-Major Street in -consultation
with the Plague Committee for the medical inspection of all passengers arriving
at or departing from Poona by rail.
17. A Medical Officer, who had been instructed by Doctor Haffkine, was
specially deputed for the duty of carrying on inoculations with Doctor Haff-
kine's prophylactic lymph.
18. Plague operations in Poona City were retained by the Plague Com-
mittee under their immediate control. Colonel Newnham Smith, Cantonment
Magistrate, and Mr. A. H. Plunkett, C.I.E., were empowered to exercise within
the limits of Poona Cantonment and Poona Suburban Municipality all the
powers of the Plague Committee under Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 14 of the Bules
published in Government Notification No. 1272—765-P of 9th March 1897.
The Plague Committee exercised, however, a general control over operations
within those areas.
19. The work done by the members of the Plague Committee personally
may be noticed at this point. The members of the Committee met almost daily
(Sundays generally excepted) in March and April to conter on questions of
importance connected with the operations. After April less frequent meetings
were found to suffice.
20. I conducted the general correspondence, and managed the financial
affairs of the Committee besides drafting the Committee's rules and standing orders.
I daily superintended the work of the troops in the city and moreover exercised,
as far as I could, a general supervision over all branches of the Committee's
administration. Lieuteuant-Colon el Phillipps, aslong as his health permitted him,
carried on the Committee's correspondence with the Military authorities. He
daily superintended the work of the military in the city and attended to all
matters connected with the discipline and welfare of the troops, besides assisting
his colleagues in the general supervision of hospitals and segregation camps.
Surgeon-Captain Beveridge held charge of the General Segregation Camp,
and for part of the operations superintended the Mahomedan Hospital and
Segregation Camp. He also worked with the military search parties daily as
a Medical Officer, and in addition supervised the issue of disinfectants.