7
Extent to which observed.
In nearly every infected district it was resorted to more or less. It has already
been mentioned that evacuation was but
rarely carried out thoroughly. In only a
few instances did the entire population of villages go into camp, and in still fewer did
the people take their belongings into camp with them and refrain from visiting their
houses.
Difficulties.
District Officers have pointed out in explanation of the failure of the people to
avail themselve fully of a measure, the value
of which they understood, and which involved
no official interference, that during the cold weather evacuation of their houses entails
real hardship upon the poorer classes, and that the difficulty of making suitable shelter not
only for themselves but for their cattle is often insurmountable.
At all seasons, too. persons who leave their houses have to choose between the
difficulty of taking all their belongings into camp with them, and the danger of leaving
them at the mercy of thieves. This danger is greater in partially evacuated villages and
naturally affects most seriously those whose possessions are greatest.
Effects.
Imperfect as it was, however, evacuation appears to have been of considerable bene-
fit, the benefit varying in proportion to
the thoroughness with which this measure was
carried out. It is recorded that in some villages in badly-infected districts outbreaks of
plague were averted by the prompt evacuation on the discovery that rats were dying of
plague, the same is said of individual households.
Employment of cordons and guards.
11. In very few instances the villagers placed cordons around evacuated villages to
prevent the return of persons from camp,
and also to protect property left in the villages.
The placing of guards over evacuated houses was more commonly observed than the
measure just referred to, but even this was not common. The measure most commonly
adopted for the protection of property left in villages was that of leaving a member of each
family— generally an old man—in the house.
Segregation.
12. In only very rare instances were any arrangements made for the segregation
of plague patients or contacts.
The occasions on which this measure was resorted to were almost completely
limited to them in which persons suffering from plague arrived at uninfected places.
The prompt segregation of such persons and their attendants undoubtedly prevented out-
breaks of plague in certain places.
The extent to which people accepted medical treat-
ment.
13. The extent to which people accepted European medical treatment was so small
as to be negligible. With very few exceptions
plague patients and their friends preferred
the treatment of Hakims and Vaids, though
in a few places in which Medical Officers were well known to the people and had obtained
their confidence their advice and treatment were sought for and appreciated.
Disinfection by official agency.
14. Although in districts which have suffered severely from plague the advantage of
disinfecting infected houses and effects is be-
ginning to be appreciated by the people, the
trouble involved by even the simplest method of disinfection has very greatly inter-
fered with it3 adoption. This was especially the case with disinfection by official
agency.
Chemical disinfection of houses was but sparingly resorted to in any district. and
very few villages were completely disinfected by chemical means. The measure is not a
popular one as it involves serious interference with the domestic privacy of the people
owing to the invasion of their houses by disinfecting gangs, besides putting them to the
inconvenience of removing all the property from the houses. It was therefore in but
comparatively few instances that the conditions prevailed under which chemical disinfec-
tion was likely to be effective, and under which by the orders of Government it was only
to be carried out. It may be remarked that even had the attitude of the people towards
chemical disinfection been the opposite to what it was, it would probably have been beyond
the resources of Government to disinfect chemically every house in which a case of
plague occurred.
In Statement No. 10 (Appendix C) are shown such details regarding the number of
villages and houses disinfected and the expenditure incurred in connection therewith as
were given in the reports of Plague Medical Officers. It will be seen that 148 villages were