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Of the course of the epidemic Mr. Baron, the Civil Surgeon, writes:—
" The first case of plague occurred in the village of Kaon on 1st March and was found
to have been imported from the Siálkot District on which it borders.
" The village contains 459 inhabitants, and there were 83 cases with 59 deaths.
" From Kaon the disease spread to the adjoining villages of Rámbriánwála, Bhilowál,
Surakhpur, Jiowanjal and Thatta Músa.
" Baháwal was another centre of disease ; infection was brought to this village from the
Jammu territory. The disease was at first confined to the Hindu portion of the community,
afterwards attacking the Muhammadan quarters and on to the adjacent village of Awána.
"Another centre of disease was Lála Músa. Here plague broke out in a tannery, situated
some 300 yards from the bazar and railway precincts, the disease having been introduced from
Wazirabad. The employés scattered in all directions, carrying disease with them amongst other
places to Shádiwál, where the outbreak was very severe indeed ; 138 people died of it.
Jakálián in the Phália Tahsíl was also attacked with one or two other villages in the
same tahsíl."
Mr. Estcourt, the Deputy Commissioner, writing in July 1902, states that plague never
became epidemic in Gujrát Town, all the cases that had occurred up to that time having
been imported. When the disease re-appeared in August, however, it became epidemic,
62 cases with 25 deaths occurring during August and September as compared with 20 cases
with 9 deaths between March and June.
The people and their bearing in the presence of the
epidemic and their attitude towards plague measures.
(a) The people of the Gujrát District are chiefly Muhammadan agriculturists. Of the
bearing, attitude and of the effect of the
epidemic upon agricultural trade, Mr. Estcourt
writes :—
" As a rule the people were extraordinarily patient while the disease was epidemic in
the villages. Their attitude was entirely that of acquiescence. They were willing to take
almost any steps they were advised to take so long as some one in authority was
present to see it carried out, but if no one was there to see it carried out, they let
things go as they were before and did nothing. The Behrúpiás of Baháwal did more
than any others to prevent the disease spreading and only gave way in the face of
very severe duststorms. The Hindús of Lála Músa and Shádiwál showed the greatest
fear of the disease and fled in all directions as soon as they saw the plague had
come to stay. The bazárs at both places were practically closed throughout the epidemic,
but as soon as it ceased the bazárs were as full of life as before, and every one returned.
Shádiwál is a place of 7,445 people, but when the epidemic was at its height I doubt if
there were 2,000 people there. No hindrance to agriculture was caused, nor was there any
increase in crimes or litigation. At Baháwal wood was supplied by the District Board to
assist the Behrúpiás to cremate their dead."
Precautionary measures.
(b) With regard to measures taken with a view to prevent outbreaks of plasme in un-
infected places Mr. Estcourt notes :—
" The serious outbreak of plague in the Siálkot District and in Jammu Territory and
the general exodus from both these places made it certain that Gujrát could not hope to
escape visitation of plague this year, and during the cold weather all villages were informed
of the power they had to prevent persons from plague-infected areas coming into their
villages. This privilege was largely availed of, and it was one well understood by the people
generally, and to a large extent people from Jammu and Siálkot found it difficult to get an
entrance to villages unless they were related to some influential people in the village."
In another portion of his report, however, Mr. Estcourt, remarks that the customs of
the people were so strong that the danger of contact within infected persons is disregarded
as soon as any of their relations were attacked with plague.
It is not stated anywhere by the Deputy Commissioner or by the Civil Surgeon
that surveillances over arrivals from infected areas were examined in any town in the
Gujrát District. From certain remarks of Mr. Estcourt, however, it would seem that some
arrangements of this nature were carried out in Gujrát Town. It has been mentioned that
all cases which occurred in the town up to the end of June were imported from other places
and Mr. Estcourt states that arrangements were made as far as possible through ward mem-
bers of the Municipal Committee who segregated their patients in the houses in which they
lived.