4 6
of plague cases and deaths to the Plague Medical Officer. These reports were sent by post in
the case of villages at a distance from the head-quarters of the Plague Medical Officer. Zail-
dárs and lambardárs were held responsible, for seeing that plague cases and deaths in their
zails and Villages were reported.
In Municipal towns ward members and mohallíídárs were responsible for reporting
plague cases and deaths in the wards and mohallás. Registers of plague occurrences were
maintained by the Municipal Muharrirs who submitted daily reports to the Plague Medical
Officer.
The Deputy Commissioner states that on the whole plague cases were fairly reported.
The first six or eight cases in a village were often not brought to light at first, the people
hoping that if no more cases occurred, the village might not be declared infected and there
would be no use of submitting daily reports.
He adds that Municipal Committees, especially those of Ráhon and Nakodar, gave no
help in reporting plague occurrences.
In Jullundur City cases were for a short time at first reported by an observation
agency ; afterwards the people themselves reported cases and deaths freely.
(d) Evacuation was freely resorted to, but in most cases was only partial. Only 17
Evacuation.
villages were completely evacuated, but about
40 were almost completely evacuated, only a
very small minority remaining.
In several villages the people camped on the roof of their houses or moved into sheds
on the outskirts of the village. In no case were the contents of houses completely removed
and people frequently visited their houses to fetch necessaries.
In the case of Jullundur City about 6,000 persons went into camp at various times.
Hindus evacuated more freely than Muhammadans. As plague spread it was more usual for
the neighbours of infected families to go into camp than for the plague-stricken families to
leave their houses.
It was impossible for more than 6,000 persons to go into camp at once, as there was
not room in the neighbourhood of the city for them to encamp on. Land there is very valu-
able, and the Municipal Committee was obliged to rent land for the poor to encamp upon.
(e) No cordons or guards were employed for the protection of property in evacuated
Cordons and guards.
villages or to prevent persons returning to such
villages from camps.
(f)
In a few instances attempts were made to isolate the sick by removing them
hblatiott and segregation.
to
cattle
-
sheds
or
to
huts
outside the village ;
segregation of contacts was not observed.
(g) European treatment was but rarely asked for and then only in villages. Major
Hodekins believes that the sick would gladly
Medical treatment.
accept Government medical treatment it it
were supervised by Europeans, and thinks that but for the opposition of a few leading men
more applications for European treatment would have been made.
(h) Both the Deputy Commissioner and the Plague Medical Officer mention that
chemical disinfection was unpopular and the
Disinfection.
disinfection of personal effects being especially
objected to. Forty-nine villages were, however completely disinfected and 68 partially.
The Plague Medical Officer considers that the objection to chemical disinfection is primarily
due to the trouble involved in emptying houses.
When complete and accompanied by evacuation, chemical disinfection was beneficial.
In Jullundur City some 5,000 rooms were chemically disinfected with good results.
Chemical disinfection was carried out by trained disinfecting gangs under the supervision of
Hospital Assistants, the instructions in the Plague Hand-book being followed.
In Jullundur City, however, a few rich persons made their own arrangements, paying
for the disinfectant perchloride of mercury and phenyle themselves.
In places where chemical disinfection was not adopted the people sometimes lit large
fires in infected rooms.
(i) The Plague Medical Officer reports that inoculation was not carried out to any
Inoculation.
great extent in the year under report.
As, "however, 27,344 persons were inoculated in spite of the fact that Medical Officers
pnly visited villages for the purpose of inoculation in response, to written applications, the
extent to which the measure was availed of cannot be considered as unsatisfactory.