4
September 1896 or earlier, it had established itself in Karáchi, Bándra and
other places as well as in Poona. The measures taken to dislodge it from places
where it had once obtained a footing had been everywhere unavailing. In none
of these places had the compulsory segregation of the sick, much less of the
apparently healthy, inmates of infected houses been systematically enforced.
On the other hand, the large cities of Surat and Ahniedabad had been kept
almost entirely free from plague, though they -had been flooded with refugees
from Bombay just as Poona had been. In Surat and Ahniedabad, however, the
segregation, of the plague-stricken had been enforced as far back as October
1896. There was, it is true, no Indian example of the suppression by strong
measures of an epidemic of plague which had established itself in a large town,
but the possibility of so suppressing the disease had been demonstrated at
Hongkong in 1894. It was certain that if the plague was not to be allowed to
run its course but was to be stamped out of Poona, stringent measures would
have to be taken.
3. It was moreover palpable to every one that the measures so far taken
in Poona had been utterly unavailing to stay the course of the epidemic. The
state of the city was one of panic. A large proportion of the leading men of
the place had already left or were preparing to leave Poona on account of the
outbreak. Several of the Municipal Commissioners and Honorary Magistrates
were among the deserters. The majority of the Gujaráthi and Márwádi traders
were closing their shops and returning to their native countries. The mass of
the people were as a natural consequence of their ignorance opposed to segrega-
tion either of the sick or of apparently healthy persons who had been exposed
to infection. Most of the influential men left in the town declared themselves
in favour of the principle of segregation, but their ideas on the subject were
generally crude and few if any of them were reconciled to the application of it
to persons of their own position in life. Another fact to be reckoned with was
that a section of the Brahmin community, including some of the most influential
men in the city, were disinclined to support any measures that emanated from
an official source, and were more likely than not to work against any operations
that might be set on foot by Government to deal with the emergency.
4. An important factor too in the situation was the state of the labour
market. Many labourers were leaving the town on account of the epidemic,
and owing to the panic that prevailed those who remained could not be relied
on to work regularly especially if there was an element of danger in the work
to be clone. It was therefore difficult to carry on limewashing and other
measures of disinfection on a large scale with private labour. Under these
circumstances it would have been unsafe to attempt to carry out any extensive
operations against the plague without a disciplined and reliable agency. It was
of the utmost importance to crush the epidemic with the least possible delay,
both to stay the great mortality that was taking place in Poona and to prevent
the spread of the disease to the other towns of the Deccan, in none of which had
it so far attained epidemic dimensions.
5. It was finally decided by Government, after consultation with the mili-
tary authorities, that volunteers for plague duty should be called for from
among the troops, British and Native, stationed in Poona and Kirkee. The call
was readily responded to, and it was found that many more volunteers than
were likely to be required were willing to come forward. A plague duty camp
was accordingly formed at Parvati on the Sinhgad road, and 893 officers and
men, British and Native, under the command of Major Paget of the Durham
Light Infantry, were placed on plague duty on 12th March ] 897. Of these, 122
officers and men -were posted as guards at the hospitals and segregation camps
and the remainder went into the Plague Duty Camp at Parvati. It had been
contemplated to place a cordon of Native troops round Poona to prevent the
egress of the public during the operations, but the proposal was abandoned.
6. I will now describe the Plague Committee's plan of operations.
The measures which were chiefly relied on for stamping out the plague
were three in number—
(1) The removal of the plague-stricken to plague hospitals.