12
culty to determine who should and who should not be segregated. Mistakes were
made at times, but I ana satisfied that segregation was on the whole conducted
with discretion and tact.
IV.—PLAGUE WORE PERFORMED BY MUNICIPAL AGENCY IN POONA CITY.
The subject of the plague first came before the general body of the Muni-
cipality at a meeting held on 30th September 1896 when a discussion took place
on a question asked by one of the members. No resolution was passed on that
occasion and no other business connected with the plague was brought before
the Corporation till January 13th, 1897. Some action was, however, taken by
the Municipal Executive in the meanwhile. On 30th September 1896 a medi-
cal man was employed at the Poona Railway Station conjointly by the Poona
Suburban and City Municipalities to watch in-coming passengers from Bombay.
2. On 6th October 1896 the Managing Committee ordered that drains and
gutters should bo cleansed and flushed as a precautionary measure. These
orders were carried out in the course of the month of October. On January
13th, 1897, the Municipality considered letters received from the Sanitary Com-
missioner and other officials on the subject of the plague, and resolved that the
Managing Committee should, in consultation with the Sanitary Committee, make
proposals for the approval of the general body regarding the measures to be
adopted by the Municipality in the matter of the plague under Section 73 of
Bombay Act VI of 1873. At the same meeting an Assistant to the Health
Officer was appointed, and the Municipality agreed to bear one-third of the cost
of the plague sheds which had been erected at the Sassoon Hospital. On Janu-
ary 18th Municipality agreed to bear one-third of the cost of establishment and
medicines for the Plague Hospital. The construction, of a segregation camp on
the Shankarshet Road was commenced on 1st February 1897.
3. Regulations under Section 73 of Bombay Act VI of 1873 were finally
sanctioned for the City of Poona by the Commissioner, C. D., in his memorandum
No. P.-252, dated 29th January 1897. A copy of these regulations is attached
(Appendix 10). On January 25th Doctor Dliamdhere, the Assistant Health
Officer, was put on pure plague work, and detailed instructions were given to
him for dealing with plague cases and affected dwellings. Practically no attempt .
was made by him to remove the sick for the reason that all cases were systemati-
cally concealed and information of a plague case was only received after death.
When such cases were found the infected houses were fumigated, cleared of dirt
and rubbish and then whitewashed. Disinfectants were used over the dirty
parts of houses, and wells belonging to the houses were treated with permanganate
of potash. The clothes of the sick were burnt. All public wells in the city
were treated by the Municipal staff in the same way as those belonging to
infected houses. About 1,600 houses were whitewashed under the orders of the
Municipality between 2nd February and 25th March.
4. Surgeon-Captain Lloyd Jones arrived in Poona on February 8th and un-
dertook the supervision of the operations against the plague, which so far had
been entirely carried out by Native agency. When he arrived the death rate of
the city was more than twice the normal, and the epidemic was daily increasing
and becoming more virulent. There was intense opposition to anti-plague mea-
sures and no cases were voluntarily disclosed. Whenever a case was heard of,
the house was visited and the sick person removed (generally by force) to hospi-
tal. On two occasions the opposition went so far that the persons removing the
patients were mobbed and the cases rescued. The segregation of the apparent-
ly healthy inmates of infected houses was tried but failed almost entirely owing
to the intense opposition of the people and the absence of a suitable agency to
enforce it. Owing to other calls upon him. the District Superintendent of Police
was only able to supply 12 policemen for regular plague duty—a number wholly
insufficient for the enforcement of measures which were distasteful to the
general public.
5. Shortly after his arrival Surgeon-Captain Lloyd Jones commenced a
house-to-house visitation with a view to the improvement of the sanitary condi-
tion of dwelling houses. In the houses visited ventilation openings were made,
and the drains were attended to according to the requirements of each case.
Where necessary, the houses themselves were limewashed. Over 1,000 houses