18
Delhi Division.
HISSAR DISTRICT.
35. Five plague cases occurred this year in the Hissar District, of which 4 were
imported and the 5th a suspicious one at Bhiwáni. Every necessary precaution was
taken in accordance with the existing rules to keep the patients under isolation and the
houses occupied by them were duly disinfected by the Civil Surgeon.
There having been only imported plague cases in the District, no special medical staff
was deputed to the District for plague duty, but the Medical Officers concerned performed
plague duty in addition to their ordinary one.
DELHI DISTRICT.
36. Of plague in the Delhi District during the year under report the Deputy Com-
missioner and Civil Surgeon write as follows :—
" There have as yet been no indigenous cases of plague in either Delhi City or
District.
" Between the months of February and. June 1902 II cases were discovered, and
these were refugees from Patiála, Ludhiána, Ambala and Kálka, 2 of whom were
removed from trains. Of these 11 cases 9 resulted fatally. The houses infected were
disinfected by a staff despatched under the orders of the Civil Surgeon.
(a) " The houses in several cases were disinfected by the Assistant Surgeon with
perchloride of mercury and in the others by
the practitioners attending the sick. The
people were averse to disinfection.
Disinfection.
" The friends of the sick refused to have them removed or to evacuate their houses.
" All possible precautions were taken in view of the possibility of an epidemic.
The city was divided into wards and sub-committees appointed for each ward, under
whose orders gangs of scavengers attended to the general cleanliness of the town, includ-
ing the interior of private houses where such interference was necessary. Chaudhris were
selected from the various mohallis, and a net-work of supervision introduced, so that ready
information might be given of all cases.
(b) " Information concerning plague attacks and deaths was received through the ward
members and medical practitioners who
treated the cases.
Information.
ct Notices in simple language were circulated throughout the town containing advice
regarding plague, and people were informed that arrangements had been made at the Civil
Hospital for inoculation. This latter notice, however, met with no response, and only 4
persons were inoculated. There was a strong local feeling that the railway approaches
of Delhi should be protected by inspection posts, but the proposal did not meet with the
approval of Government. In view of the Darbár of next year, it is probable, however, that
a further representation will be made by the Municipal Committee in this connection at
the beginning of the cold weather.
(c) " All the cases of plague were of the bubonic variety, but there were a number of
very suspicious cases in Delhi in which the
patients were taken ill suddenly and soon
became insensible, dying in one or two days. These were in the first instance taken as
cases of plague of a virulent form, but on post mortem examination made in two of the
suspicious cases it was found that the cases were of cerebro-spinal fever.
Types of plague.
" No plague cases were treated at the Hospital ; they were treated by their own
physicians.
id) " The Civil Surgeon of the District performed plague duty in addition to his
ordinary duties, with one Hospital Assistant specially deputed for plague duty in the
District."
KARNAL DISTRICT.
37. Plague broke out in the Karnál District for the first time during the year under
report. There were outbreaks of plague in
two tabs is, Tháricsar and Kaithal, and some
imported cases occurred in the town of Karnál.
Review of epidemic.