77
The mortality returns were checked by men posted at the burial grounds and burning
gháts, who made enquiries as to the disease from which deceased persons had suffered.
The reporting of cases appears to have been fairly satisfactory, although it is recorded
that some of the members of Municipal and Sanitary Ward Committees connived at the con-
cealment of cases.
That there was not much concealment appears most likely that the mortality from all
causes during the epidemic was not very greatly in excess of the average mortality for the
previous five years, and that in spite of concurrent outbreaks of small-pox and measles and
inspite also of a considerable influx of refugees from other infected places.
Evacuation.
(d) Except in the case of a few Ará'ns in Bázár Hakímán and Muhalla Sathá'n who
voluntarily left their infected houses and went
to live near their wells on the river bank, no
evacuation was practised at Lahore.
Segregation of sick and contacts.
(e) In only a very few instances was segregation of sick and contacts observed. As
has been seen hospitals were provided and in a
few instances the indigenous cases were induced
to go to hospital by the pressure brought upon them by their neighbours, but this was all
that was done.
Medical treatment.
(f)
European medical treatment was
asked for very rarely, the people preferring
to be treated by hakíms and baids.
Disinfection : Chemical disinfection.
(g) Chemical disinfection was carried out at first vigorously and was applied only to
houses in which cases of plague had occurred
in those adjoining them, but afterwards, owing
to the opposition of the people towards it, it was confined to houses whose owners consented
to its being done and to badly infected localities such as the Dhobi Mandi and Landa
Bázár. In these places it was carried out in a wholesale way.
The coloured solution was unpopular, and several people offered to do their own
disinfection rather than have their houses messed about by the official gang.
Altogether 1,688 rooms were disinfected.
The effects of disinfection were satisfactory: in no instance did plague re-appear in a
house that had been disinfected, and in referring to the muhalla first infected Mr. Calvert notes:
" Though 13 of the 16 indigenous cases that occurred in the first three months were from
the muhalla, the case always occurred just outside the disinfected area "
Popular methods.
Reference has already been made to the use of phenyle, and to the lighting of
fires in their house, by a few people.
Inoculation.
(h) Only 4,749 inoculations were performed in Lahore during the year under report,
and the figures include a large number of
villagers who came in considerable numbers to
be operated upon Inoculation was begun on January 13th at the tahsil, but in spite of as
much publicity as possible there were very few volunteers.
There were the wildest rumours as to the effects of the operation, persons were
reported to have died of it, and it was said to have produced impotency, blindness and
other ills.
During April and May, owing to the people having learnt by experience that the
rumours were unfounded, a considerable number came forward for inoculation, but much
harm was done by the publication in a native paper about the middle of May of state-
ments that two persons had died from the effects of inoculation. Enquiries proved that
the statements were false, but it was some time before the confidence could be restored.
Result of inoculation.
No cases of plague were reported among inoculated persons, nor was there any
other instance of any injury following the op-
eration.
The statistics of inoculation in Lahore City and Municipality will be found in
the subjoined table.