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III.—WORKS oF THE MILITARY SEARCH, DISINFECTION AND SEGREGATION
PARTIES IN POONA CITY.
The Search Parties.
A house-to-house inspection by military search parties has been one of the
leading features in the Plague Committee's plan of operations, and to nothing
in the campaign did they attach greater importance. Before the Plague
Committee was constituted it had been demonstrated by experience that there
was intense aversion among all classes of the townsfolk to the removal of their
plague-stricken relatives to hospital. Incredible shifts were resorted to to
prevent the authorities from becoming aware of the occurrence of cases.
Plague patients were hidden in lofts, cupboards and gardens—anywhere in fact
where their presence was least likely to be suspected. Medical attendance of
any description was rarely obtained, as it was feared that the calling in of a
medical practitioner might lead to the removal of the patient. As a rule the
authorities only heard of a case of plague after the patient's death. It was
hopeless to attempt to stay the course of the epidemic so long as the isolation of
plague patients was not effectually carried out, and this, in view of the antipathy
to the segregation of the infected which existed in Poona could only be done by
compulsory methods.
2. The main difficulty, apart from the question of agency in the way of
the organization of a house-to-house inspection, lay in the religious and social
customs cf the Hindus and Mahomedans who between them make up nearly the
whole of the population of the city of Poona. The religious customs of the
Hindus forbade people of other races to enter their god-rooms and cook-rooms.
The females of the better class Mahomedan families were all purdah women.
Among all classes of the population, except perhaps the very lowest, there
existed an aversion bo the invasion of their privacy which is unknown in Western
Europe. Again a systematic search of houses by military agency was a novelty
in Poona, and was on that account likely to be regarded with distrust and
alarm.
3. It was thought necessary that the burden of the search should be
borne by British soldiers as they were the most disciplined and trustworthy
agency that could be obtained, but it was at the same time recognized that
owing to their ignorance of the language and customs of the Natives, and the
existence of customs and feelings among the latter which we were bound to
respect, they could not be the only agency employed. It was accordingly
decided that Native gentlemen should be attached to the search parties to
explain to the public the objects of the search, to act as interpreters between the
soldiers and the public and to point out to the soldiers the portions of houses
which custom forbade them to enter. It was also resolved that the search
parties should be accompanied by ladies to search rooms occupied by purdah
women. As far as possible ladies possessing some knowledge of disease were
selected for this work.
4. To get volunteers from among the Native gentry to accompany the
search parties I called a meeting at the Jubilee Technical Institute on the 11th
March when 51 volunteers were enrolled. The services of additional Native
gentlemen to accompany the search parties were advertized for on 12th March
and again on 16th March.
The ladies who accompanied the search parties were, with the exception of
three Mission ladies who volunteered their services, paid employes of the Com-
mittee.
5. The manner in which the search was actually conducted will be learnt
from the accompanying printed directions for searchers (Appendix 2). They
were approved by the Plague Committee on March 24th, and thereafter to the
ned of the operations the search was carried on in substantial accordance with,
them. The directions in force when the operations commenced were on the