4o
In only one instance it was alleged that plague was carried from one village to
another by rats.
Of this case the Plague Medical Officer notes :—
" In one village, Katha, it was suspected that perhaps rats were the cause of its first
infection, as the people of the village complained that the Adhkára people had thrown (out
of malice) dead rats in their streets during night and had infected it."
The Deputy Commissioner remarks that no case of infection through grain or
raticle of merchandise was satisfactorily established.
(k) Except with regard to the seasonal variation of plague, but slight reference is
made to the influence of the local conditions
Influence of local conditions.
upon
the
epidemic.
(l) Both the Deputy Commissioner and the Plague Medical Officer state that mortal-
ity among rats has been invaried throughout
Mortality among rats and other animals. all infected villages. It is reported that out of
299 infected villages in the Garhshankar Tahsil rats died in 15 before human beings were
attacked. The imigration of rats from infected to healthy villages has not been noticed,
but on this subject the District Plague Medical Officer makes the following remarks:-—
" Frequently rats have suddenly disappeared from infected villages and have return-
ed after subsidence of plague. They must probably go to fields and not to villages. The
reason for this supposition is twofold,—firstly, nowhere sudden increase of rats has been
noticed in any healthy village before its being infected ; and secondly, rats, when they find
comfortable homes elsewhere, are not likely to return to their native homes."
In villages in which rat mortality preceded plague among human beings the interval
varied, but three to ten days were frequently said to have elapsed between the deaths of rats
in a house and attacks of plague among the inmates.
No relation was noticed between the extent of rat mortality and the severity of out-
break of plague among human beings.
Dogs and goats were stated to have died from plague.
In one village two goats and two bullocks were stated to have died in consequence of
eating poultice which had been applied to the buboes of plague patients.
(m) The Plague Medical Officer reports that owing to the widespread of plague and
the insufficiency of the reporting agency, no
Type and seventy of disease.
records as to the number of attacks of the
different types of plague, bubonic, pneumonic, septennic and of the mortality attendant upon
each variety.
The bubonic type was most common in certain villages ; the pneumonic type pre-
vailed and in others the mortality was very high.
No unusual features of the disease were observed.
(n) No special liability of particular classes to attacks of plague was noticed, except
perhaps in the case of Rajput females, this
Classes attacked.
being attributed to their confined and under
life. Women on the whole were more liable to attack.
Of persons employed on plague duty only two were attacked, both disinfecting coolies,
one of whom died.
(0) The Deputy Commissioner and the Plague Medical Officer agree in increasing
the employment of hakims for the treatment of
Recommendations.
plague-stricken, with the hope of gaining the
confidence of the people. They also agree in considering chemical disinfection in villages
to be of little use. The District Plague Medical Officer advises its abandonment, saying
" the people will not have it." Both recommend the distribution of phenyle, though
the Plague Medical Officer admits that much of it would be waisted, and the Deputy Com-
missioner remarks that—" From a Police point of view the widespread introduction among
the people of a poisonous substance is perhaps to be deprecated."
Mr. Fagan notes " inoculation is undoubtedly the main—probably the only—pro-
tective measure available for combating plague."
He points out, however, the difficulty that the poor classes, who depend for their
daily food upon their daily labour in submitting to inoculation, which involves some days,
enforced idleness, and he agrees with Dr. Datta that a gratuity of I anna a day up to a