86
The Deputy Commissioner considers that when a village was declared to be infected
all cases were reported, though there is no doubt that cases of plague were at first
suppressed as "the people do not like to think that their village is plague-infected."
Although the returns from some villages make it likely that all cases were not
reported—in some instances the number of cases and deaths reported being the same, yet the
statistics of the whole district, which show the case mortality to have been 63'70, do not
indicate any concealment of cases.
Evacuation.
(d) Evacuation was very generally resorted to, though it was often only very partial.
Even when families went into camp they kept
up a constant communication with their
houses, either to fetch necessaries or to look after their property. Moreover if cases
occurred among females in camp they frequently returned to their houses saying that it was
better to die in their own houses than outside.
The Deputy Commissioner remarks :—
" During the cold weather no doubt evacuation causes some hardship and at the
slightest excuse of course they are ready to run back to their houses, and so undo any good
they may have done by evacuation."
A certain Maulvi preached against evacuation, saying that it was equivalent to
emigration which was opposed to the tenants of the Moslem faith. His preaching
influenced a certain number of villages, but the Maulvi afterwards changed his view.
As to the effect of evacuation both the Deputy Commissioner and the Plague Medi-
cal Officer state that it is beneficial even when only partial, and Lála Labhu Rám, Execu-
tive Plague Officer, has prepared a statement in which are compared the incidence of
fatality of plague in a number of evacuated and non-evacuated villages. This statement is
epitomised in the table given below:—
Evacuated villages ..
Non-evacuated villages
Nurnber.
11
11
Population.
2,552
8,742
Cases.
1,304
Deaths.
66
914
Attacks per
100 of the
population.
14'91
Case mor-
tality per
cent.
70'21
70'09
The figures given in- this table show that while evacuation had no appreciable effect
upon the case mortality of plague, the incidence of plague attacks was more than three
times as greater among the inhabitants of non-evacuated than among those of evacuated
villages. No mention is made as to the effect of evacuation upon the deviation of out-
break of plague in villages.
Cordons a.nd guards.
(e) No cordons or guards were employed to prevent access to evacuated villages or
to protect property l,eft in them.
Segregation.
Medical treatment.
(f) The Plague Medical Officer reports that absolutely no segregation of sick and
contacts was observed, but that European
medcal treatment was accepted freely.
Disinfection.
(g) Chemical disinfection was not generally adopted. It was not often asked for and
was frequently only partial. More was done
in the Shakargarh Tahsíl where the people
were more familiar with it than in other part of the district.
The number of rooms disinfected was 6,186; of these 2,462 were in the Shakargarh,
3,432 in the Gurdáspur and 292 in the Batala Tahsíls. The coloured perchloride of mer-
cury solution was used and disinfection was carried out by trained gangs.
The effects of partial disinfection were not very satisfactory, but when carried out
completely, disinfection was very beneficial and cases are recorded of outbreaks having been,
completely stopped by prompt and thorough disinfection.
Popular methods.
The people tried to disinfect their houses by replastering the walls and floors, by
lighting fires on the floor of infected rooms and
by making holes in the roofs and walls of the
houses. Phenyle was very popular and the people asked for it to mix with the clay with
which they plastered their houses.